UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


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BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 


A   facsimile  of  an  etchinu  of   liis  I'.mincncc-,    1*.    I.  (Jardinal   Mercier. 


BACK   FROM 
BELGIUM 


A  Secret  History  of  Three  Years 
Within  the  German  Lines 

By  Father  Jean  B.  DeVille 

Cardinal  Mercier's  Personal  Delegate 
to  America 


Illustrated 


m 


NEW  YORK 
THE  H.  K.  FLY  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright  1918,  by 
The  H.  K.  Fly  Company. 


3 


To 
^  His  Eminence 

D.  J,  Cardinal  Mercier, 
^^*  Archbishop  of  Malines 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I    How  I  Went  to  Belgium 11 

II    FiKST   Impeessioxs   24 

III  Eaely  "Woek  in  Belgium 39 

IV  Beuxelles    59 

V    FuETHEE  Missions  72 

VI  Where  the  Huns  Have  Passed 94 

711  DiNANT    117 

Vin  Chaeleroi  129 

IX  Lol^ain    155 

X  C-4lEdinal   Meecier   175 

XI  The  Deportations  186 

XII    The  Clandestine  Press  in  Occupied 

Belgium    _ 207 

XIII  Flemish  and  Walloons  220 

XIV  America  Declares  War  234 

XV  Farewell  to  Belgium  246 

XVI  How  America  Helps  257 


BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

CHAPTER  I. 
How  I  Went  To  Belgium. 

It  is  a  long  step  back  to  those  first  mad  days 
of  the  Great  War.  Treaties  became  but  scraps 
of  paper  and  horror  followed  horror  in  such 
rapidity  that  the  neutral  world  stood  aghast. 
What  must  the  first  days  have  meant  to 
those  with  loved  ones  caught  in  the  whirlpool 
of  the  Kaiser's  wrath  I 

The  invasion  of  Belgium  had  barely  begun 
before  thousands  of  Belgians  who  had  found 
new  homes  in  America  sought  a  means  of 
communicating  with  their  relatives  in  the 
invaded  territory,  and  of  bringing  them  if 
possible  to  safety  across  the  Atlantic.  The 
conquerors  of  the  little  country  which  had  gal- 
lantly refused  to  serve  as  a  thoroughfare  to 
their  insane  ambitions  were  allowing  no  mes- 
sages to  cross  the  borders,  and  many  a  dis- 

11 


12  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

tracted  Belgian  in  America  was  living  in  ter- 
rible anxiety  at  the  possible  fate  of  the  loved 
ones  at  home. 

A  meeting  was  therefore  called  of  the  Ex- 
ecntive  Committee  of  the  Belgian- American 
Alliance,  and  its  President,  Mr.  Felix  J. 
Streyckmans,  was  given  full  authority  to  take 
any  steps  that  might  prove  of  help  under  the 
circumstances.  The  Department  of  State  had 
already  been  appealed  to,  and  through  the 
Consular  Staff  in  Belgium  it  had  succeeded 
in  locating  some  of  the  Belgians  about  whom 
inquiries  had  been  made,  but  beyond  that  point 
diplomatic  efforts  had  been  powerless,  and  the 
German  Foreign  Office  had  steadfastly  turned 
a  deaf  ear  to  the  requests  of  the  American 
Government. 

There  remained  but  one  chance  of  success. 
If  a  delegate  were  sent  to  Holland  he  might 
manage  to  enter  Belgium  and  persuade  tlie 
German  authorities  to  consent  to  such  de- 
partures of  Belgians  as  could  be  of  no  possible 
military  disadvantage,  while  relieving  con- 
siderable suffering.  Our  own  Department  of 
State  had  no  objection  to  this  plan,  although  it 
did  not  attempt  to  conceal  its  doubts  as  to  the 


HOW  I  WENT  TO  BELGIUM        13 

possible  fulfillment  of  it.  For  my  part,  it  was 
with  a  complete  appreciation  of  the  obstacles 
which  I  would  encounter  that  I  undertook  the 
mission  when  it  was  offered  to  me. 

The  question  of  ways  and  means  took  weeks 
of  consideration,  and  many  persons  of  in- 
fluence and  wealth  were  approached  for  assist- 
ance, but  none  considered  the  plan  practical 
and  none  would  believe  that  I  should  ever 
manage  to  enter  Belgium  and  bring  out  some 
of  her  inhabitants. 

Someone  finally  suggested  appealing  to  one 
of  the  leading  newspapers,  and  the  proposi- 
tion was  submitted  to  the  Chicago  Herald 
which  promptly  agreed  to  support  it,  and  to 
enable  me  to  proceed  as  joint  representative  of 
that  newspaper  and  of  the  Belgian- American 
Alliance. 

Again  the  State  Department  was  ap- 
proached, and  credentials  were  obtained  in- 
troducing- me  to  American  representatives  in 
Holland  and  Belgium.  The  German  Embassy 
at  Washington  was  advised  of  the  plan,  and 
consultations  held  with  both  the  German  Am- 
bassador, Baron  Von  Bernstoff,  and  with  the 
German  Consul  at  Chicago,  Baron  Von  Reis- 


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witz.  Their  endorsement  of  our  ideas  was 
lukewarm,  but  no  definite  refusal  was  en- 
countered. At  the  samei  time  every  possible 
requirement  of  the  German  military  authori- 
ties was  anticipated,  the  letters  received  from 
persons  imploring  aid  in  rescuing  their  rela- 
tives were  properly  classified  with  records  of 
the  name,  address,  age  and  occupation  of 
each  person  sought.  Altogether  I  was  en- 
trusted with  appeals  from  187  families,  and  as 
in  some  instances  there  were  as  many  as  ten 
persons  to  be  brought  back  the  total  number 
of  those  I  was  in  search  of  amounted  to  over 
five  hundred. 

I  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  30th  of 
August,  1915,  to  Rotterdam,  and  on  my  arrival 
in  Holland  I  called  on  Mr.  Henry  Van  Dyke, 
American  Minister  to  the  Netherlands.  Mr. 
Van  Dyke  readily  agreed  that  my  mission  was 
laudable,  but  held  out  no  encouragement  as  to 
its  accomplishment,  and  courteously  expressed 
regrets  at  the  little  help  he  could  offer  me  in 
view  of  Germany's  objections  to  any  traveling 
into    Belgium. 

It  was  explained  to  me  in  great  detail  that 
the  American  legation  had  been  instrumental 


HOW  I  WENT  TO  BELGIUM        15 

in  obtaining  passports  for  quite  a  number  of 
Americans  who  had  wanted  to  enter  Belgium 
but  who,  on  coming  out,  had  invariably  circu- 
lated sensational  reports  about  conditions  in 
the  invaded  country.  Because  of  this,  Mr. 
Van  Dyke  informed  me  the  German  govern- 
ment had  come  to  regard  with  disfavor  any 
attempt  he  made  to  procure  passage  across 
the  frontier. 

*'  Besides,**  he  stated,  *'I  have  aided  a  num- 
ber of  persona  to  enter  Belgium  who  assured 
me  that  they  had  pressing,  legitimate  business 
there,  but  it  later  developed  that  they  made 
the  journey  solely  out  of  curiosity.** 

**  But,**  I  pleaded,  **  I  am  not  asking  for  a 
passport  to  go  on  a  sightseeing  tour.  I  want 
to  enter  Belgium  for  a  worthy  cause.** 

*'  I  am  not  doubting  your  good  intentions," 
Mr.  Van  Dyke  replied,  **  but  I  am  powerless 
to  help  you.  The  experience  of  the  Legation 
has  made  it  necessary  for  us  to  establish  a 
rule  and  it  cannot  be  broken.'* 

I  then  thought  of  going  to  Berlin,  and  per- 
sonally presenting  my  request  to  the  German 
Foreign  Office.  In  this  purpose  I  again  met 
obstacles,  as  my  American  passport  covered 


16  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

only  the  Department  of  State's  permission  to 
enter  Holland  and  Belgium,  but  was  value- 
less in  aiding  me  to  got  into  Germany. 

However,  I  called  at  the  German  Embassy, 
and  asked  for  the  First  Secretary,  Baron  Von 
Stumm,  who  speaks  excellent  English  and 
has,  I  believe,  an  American  wife.  I  asked  him 
to  give  me  a  passport  for  Cologne. 

''  That  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  places  to 
get  to,"  he  answered.  ''  because  it  is  a  forti- 
fied town.  "What  is  3'our  reason  for  desiring 
to  go  there?  " 

*'  I  wish  to  see  His  Eminence,  Cardinal 
Von  Hartmann,"  I  said. 

The  Cardinal's  name  seemed  to  impress 
Von  Stumm.  "  Does  the  Cardinal  know 
you?  "  he  asked. 

''  Not  personally,  but  I  have  important 
business  to  transact  with  him — business  in 
which  he  is  greatly  interested." 

Finally  I  was  told  that  my  application 
would  be  considered,  and  after  a  week  of  con- 
tinued pleadings  I  received  the  precious  docu- 
ment allowing  me  to  proceed. 

There  were  very  few  passengers  on  the 
train  which  bore  me  eastward,  mostly  German 


HOW  I  WENT  TO  BELGIUM        17 

mei  chants  returning  from  business  trips  to 
Holland  where  they  had  bought  everything 
they  could  obtain — and  in  those  days  Holland 
was  still  a  great  source  of  supplies  for  Ger- 
many. At  the  frontier  I  was  thoroughly 
searched  from  head  to  foot,  and  every  docu- 
ment I  possessed,  including  my  credentials  and 
even  my  breviary  had  to  be  left  behind.  The 
officials  noted  my  intended  address  in  Cologne, 
the  Dom  Hotel,  and  told  me  that  all  these 
documents  would  be  forwarded  there  in  a  few 
days,  after  thorough  examination. 

After  the  frontier  was  crossed,  officers  and 
soldiers  began  to  appear  on  the  train,  while 
everywhere  I  could  see  women,  children  and 
old  men  working  in  the  fields  as  substitutes 
for  those  who  were  gone  to  war.  At  every 
station  groups  of  soldiers  appeared,  waiting 
for  some  train  to  take  them  to  the  front,  and 
several  times  we  passed  troop  trains  loaded 
with  men,  some  of  whom  sang  popular  tunes 
while  others  seemed  to  sulk  quietly. 

Even  then  I  noticed  what  impressed  me  so 
much  in  all  my  experience  with  the  German 
army,  the  total  absence  of  any  Intermingling 
between   the   officers  and  their  men,   and  the 


18  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

haughty  contempt  with  which  the  former  ad- 
dressed their  subordinates. 

I  had  left  Holland  in  the  early  morning,  and 
it  was  about  five  of  the  same  afternoon  that  I 
reached  Cologne.  Before  being  allowed  to 
register  at  the  Dom  Hotel  I  had  to  sign  a  long 
statement  in  triplicate  showing  who  I  was, 
my  reason  for  coming  to  the  city,  how  long  I 
intended  staying,  and  innumerable  other  de- 
tails. I  had  then  to  present  myself  to  the 
chief  of  police  for  that  district  who  questioned 
me  closely.  A  mistake  had  been  made  in  my 
passport,  where  my  birth  date  was  showni  in 
September  whereas  it  should  have  been  writ- 
ten December.  I  forgot  about  this,  and  gave 
the  correct  date  with  the  result  that  I  was 
stormed  at  by  the  official.  My  knowledge 
of  German  being  rudimentary  at  best,  I  found 
it  difficult  to  explain  matters. 

*'A  fine  priest  jou  must  be,"  sneered  my 
questioner,  *4f  you  don't  even  know  your 
age."  And  I  was  given  a  little  lecture  on  tho 
idiocy  of  all  non-Germans  in  general,  and  my- 
self in  particular,  before  being  curtly  dis- 
missed. 

The  next  day  was  one  of  the  Feasts  of  the 


HOW  I  WENT  TO  BELGIUM        19 

Virgin,  and  as  I  left  my  hotel  crowds  were 
wending  their  way  towards  the  big  Gothic 
Cathedral.  Wounded  soldiers  and  mourning 
women  were  conspicuous,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  an  atmosphere  of  gloom  over  everyone. 
Many  remained  to  pray  after  the  service,  the 
greatest  number  being  grouped  around  thfi 
statue  of  the  Sorrowful  Mother  who  bears  the 
inert  form  of  the  Crucified  One. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  see  Cardinal  Von 
Hartmann,  passing  on  my  way  a  monstrous 
statue  of  Michael,  patron  of  old  rural  Ger- 
many. It  was  partly  covered  with  nails  which 
had  been  driven  in  by  generous  citizens,  some 
of  whom  were  in  the  act  of  driving  in  a  few 
more  from  the  top  of  a  ladder.  I  forget  what 
exact  amount  had  to  be  contributed  to  the  War 
Fund  for  the  privilege  of  driving  a  nail  into 
the  statue,  but  the  same  idea  seemed  to  have 
been  followed  all  over  Germany. 

On  reaching  the  Cardinal's  palace  I  learned, 
to  my  great  disappointment,  that  he  was 
absent  from  the  city  and  would  not  return 
for  ten  days.  I  was  gloomily  returning  to 
the  hotel  when  I  met  a  monsignor  whom  I 
saluted.     He  looked  at  me   curiously  as  we 


20  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

passed,  so  that  I  was  seized  with  an  impulse 
to  speak  to  him.  Turning,  I  found  that  he 
had  also  turned  and  stopped  to  look  at  me. 

**  An  American  priest?  "  he  asked,  coming 
towards  me.  *'I  thought  so.  I  love  the 
United  States  which  I  have  visited  several 
times,  and  I  have  a  number  of  friends  there. 
Would  you  mind  walking  along  with  me,  and  if 
you  have  time  come  into  my  house?  '^ 

I  assured  him  that  I  would  be  honored  to 
visit  him,  and  found  he  was  no  other  than 
Monsignor  Richen,  the  German  ecclesiastical 
commissary  for  the  Holy  Land,  and  an 
astronomer  of  repute.  His  house  was  spacious 
and  exquisitely  furnished,  with  a  beautiful 
garden  in  the  back.  Monsignor  spoke  English 
perfectly,  and  offered  me  the  hospitality  of 
his  home,  but  I  explained  the  reasons  which 
had  brought  me  to  Cologne,  and  I  asked  him 
if  he  could  not  help  me  secure  permission  to 
go  to  Berlin  as  soon  as  possible.  He  was 
most  kind,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  the 
afternoon  and  evening  getting  my  passport 
altered  and  securing  accomodations  for  me  on 
the  Berlin  train. 

Monsignor  Richen  and  I  dined  together  at 


HOW  I  WENT  TO  BELGIUM        21 

the  Dom  Hotel,  and  after  dinner  he  wrote  a 
letter  of  introduction  for  me  to  the  Dean  of 
the  Berlin  district. 

The  Berlin  train  was  filled  with  more  offi- 
cers than  I  had  seen  as  yet,  and  many  were 
angrily  protesting  because  they  were  unable 
to  secure  a  berth.  One  of  them  tried  to  get 
into  my  section,  but  the  conductor  who  had 
been  lavishly  tipped  in  advance  kept  him  out. 
Although  the  section  was  mine  I  felt  like 
sharing  it  with  him,  but  his  manners  and  lan- 
guage were  so  abusive  that  I  could  not  bring 
myself  to  it. 

We  arrived  in  Berlin  the  next  morning,  and 
I  took  a  cab  at  once  to  the  Hotel  Aldon  where 
I  had  to  fill  out  the  same  kind  of  forms  as  in 
Cologne  before  registering.  There  were  sev- 
eral American  newspaper  correspondents  stop- 
ping at  this  hotel,  as  well  as  several  American 
doctors  and  nurses  on  their  way  back  from 
Serbia  where  they  had  served  with  the  Red 
Cross. 

I  called  the  same  afternoon  on  Ambassador 
James  W.  Gerard,  and  told  him  of  my  wish 
to  go  to  Belgium.  He  looked  over  my  creden- 
tials, and  shook  his  head.    "I  advise  you  not 


22  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

to  waste  any  time  on  this  mission,"  he  said, 
"  because  you  will  never  be  able  to  carry  it 
out.  Return  home  as  soon  as  you  can.  I 
should  like  to  help  you,  but  I  am  powerless 
to  enable  you  to  get  into  Belgium."  He  then 
invited  me  to  attend  a  reception  at  the  Ameri- 
can Embassy  that  night. 

Next  day  I  had  an  interview  with  the  Dean 
for  whom  I  had  a  letter,  and  he  in  turn  gav<' 
me  one  for  Count  Montgelas  of  the  German 
Foreign  Office. 

Strangely  enough,  the  greeting  of  Count 
Montgelas  proved  the  most  cordial  I  had  yet 
received  from  any  official.  He  entertained  mc 
very  kindly  but  did  not  conceal  how  difficult 
it  was  for  anyone  outside  of  the  army  or  civil 
service  to  enter  Belgium.  He  told  me  that 
many  Germans  of  prominence  were  repeatedly 
refused  the  permission  for  which  I  asked,  that 
they  were  usually  kept  waiting  for  months 
after  making  thei^  application,  and  tliat  even 
then  a  refusal  vras  most  frequent.  He  would 
however,  make  a  special  effort  on  my  behalf, 
and  I  should  be  advised  as  soon  as  possible. 

For  two  long  weeks  I  waited,  most  of  the 
time  in  the  hotel  for  fear  of  being  absent  if  a 


HOW  I  WENT  TO  BELGIUM         23 

messenger  should  come  for  me.  Regiments 
were  constantly  marching  by,  the  people  waiv- 
ing handkerchiefs  and  cheering  loudly  as  they 
passed;  otherwise  the  city  showed  little  signs 
of  animation,  and  I  was  getting  very  worried 
over  the  delay  when  I  finally  got  word  to  call 
at  the  Foreign  Office  for  my  passport.  Count 
Montgelas  there  informed  me  that  he  had  ex- 
perienced considerable  difficulty  in  obtaining 
it,  as  the  German  Secret  Service  had  reported 
that  I  was  a  correspondent  of  the  New  York 
Herald,  a  newspaper  much  in  disfavor  with 
the  German  Government.  I  explained  the 
error,  and  after  being  instructed  to  send  no 
communications  out  of  Belgium  except 
through  the  local  censor  who  would  forward 
them  to  Count  Montgelas,  I  was  at  last  al- 
lowed to  proceed. 


CHAPTER  n. 

FmsT  Impbessions. 

I  went  from  Berlin  to  Bruxelles  via  Liege, 
Louvain  and  many  other  towns  whose  ruins 
were  gaunt  monuments  to  German  Kultur.  I 
was  to  become  better  acquainted  with  most  of 
these  places  later  on,  but  this  first  glimpse  of 
the  country  gave  me  general  impressions 
rather  than  separate  and  distinct  pictures. 

Bruxelles  did  not  offer  the  same  picture  of 
desolation  as  some  of  the  cities  of  which  I  had 
had  fleeting  glimpses  from  the  train.  No 
charred  walls  stood  gauntly  there  as  sole  re- 
minders of  a  former  normal  life,  and  I  could 
see  that  many  of  the  city's  inhabitants  ap- 
parently still  moved  and  lived  almost  as  they 
moved  and  lived  before  the  great  tragedy. 
Cardinal  Mercier,  whom  I  was  so  anxious  to 
see,  would  still  be  found  in  the  capital,  and  I 
should  myself  be  able  to  live  there  in  com- 
parative comfort. 

24 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  25 

Yet  even  in  Bruxelles  I  could  not  escape  the 
oppression  which  I  had  felt  since  entering 
Belgium,  the  oppression  that  the  whole  country 
is  a  vast  prison.  And  every  town,  every 
hamlet  of  Belgium  is  a  prison  within  a  prison. 
The  oppressive  feeling  of  confinement  is  such 
that  it  seems  natural  that  all  along  the  Dutch 
frontier  there  should  be  a  barbed-wire  barrier, 
double  in  places,  charged  with  high  voltage 
of  electricity  and  guarded  day  and  night  by 
sentries. 

As  soon  as  a  young  Belgian  is  of  military 
age,  if  he  has  red  blood  flowing  through  his 
veins,  he  will  make  his  way  to  the  frontier  and 
try  to  pass  over  that  barrier  into  Holland  to 
join  later  the  army  of  Belgium,  either  by  brib- 
ing the  sentries  or  by  braving  the  perils  of 
the  wire.  During  the  first  two  years  of  the 
occupation  nearly  25,000  young  Belgians  thus 
regained  their  liberty,  chiefly  by  bribery.  The 
German  authorities,  however,  investigated  the 
reason  of  such  laxity  at  the  frontier  and  soon 
discovered  that  many  of  the  Landsturmers  on 
duty  there  had  fought  and  bled  for  the  Father- 
land not  once  or  twice,  but  repeatedly,  and 
knew  that  as  soon  as  they  had  fully  recovered 


26  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

their  health  they  would  be  sent  back  to  the 
front;  they  were  tired  of  it  all  and  were  glad 
to  accept  a  bribe  and  desert  by  crossing  over 
into  Holland.  Those  conditions  no  longer  exist 
at  the  frontier.  During  the  past  year  and  a 
half  the  sentries  have  been  carefully  selected 
from  men  having  influential  relations  and  vast 
estates  in  the  Fatherland,  who  cannot  be 
easily  induced  to  desert.  To  escape  from 
Belgium  has,  therefore,  become  more  difficult, 
but  attempts  continue  to  be  made  and  hardly 
a  day  passes  without  the  discovery  of  a  few 
inanimate  Belgian  forms  dangling  from  the 
wires  where  they  have  been  electrocuted  in 
an  unsuccessful  effort  towards  freedom.  "VVliile 
I  was  in  Belgium  a  young  man  of  my  acquain- 
tance learnt  that  tlic  current  had  been  tem- 
porarily shut  off  and  decided  to  escape.  When 
night  fell  he  took  his  pet  dog  to  a  spot  where 
the  guard  was  not  particularly  strong,  and  to 
test  the  wire  he  sent  his  dog  through  it.  The 
dog  got  safely  across,  but  fate  was  against 
my  friend,  for  while  he  was  following  the  cur- 
rent was  turned  on  again,  and  he  was  instant- 
ly killed. 

The  realization  that  in  Belgium  one  is  in 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  27 

a  prison  is  increased  by  the  difficulties  of  com- 
munication, not  only  with  the  free  outside 
world  but  even  within  Belgium  itself.  Wliere- 
ever  a  Belgian  goes,  he  is  called  upon  to 
present  his  Identification  Card  which  has 
been  issued  by  the  authorities  of  the  district 
to  which  he  belongs,  and  which  lacks  nothing 
in  the  way  of  information.  It  bears  the 
owner's  photograph,  place  and  date  of  birtli, 
parentage,  height,  weight,  color  of  hair,  com- 
plexion, business — every  possible  detail  that 
might  be  of  interest.  If  he  happens  to  be  a 
man  of  military  age,  between  seventeen  and 
fifty-five,,  he  is  required  to  carry  a  military 
card  showing  that  he  was  present  at  the  last 
muster  conducted  each  week  by  the  German 
authorities. 

In  a  few  provinces  of  Belgium  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Governor  General,  you  may 
communicate  with  your  friends  by  open  letter, 
but  there  is  absolutely  no  communication  be- 
tween this  part  of  Belgium,  or  the  part  of 
Belgium  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  German 
Government,  and  Flanders,  and  absolutely  no 
communication  is  possible  in  Flanders.  A 
father  or  mother  may  be  lying  at  the  point 


28  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

of  death  within  a  fraction  of  a  mile  of  the 
town  where  their  child  lives,  but  the  child  can- 
not go  there.  The  only  thing"  allowed  is  to 
make  an  application  for  a  passport,  stating 
the  reason  it  is  requested.  These  passports 
are  very  seldom  granted,  and  the  Belgians 
apply  for  them  out  of  sheer  despair  to  assure 
themselves  that  they  have  left  nothing  untried 
to  reach  their  dying  relatives.  The  Pass 
Bureaus  are  usually  located  in  the  municipal 
government  buildings  of  Belgium,  and  it  irri- 
tates Belgians  to  have  to  go  there  for  favors. 
Instead  of  meeting  polite  officials,  the  applicant 
is  yelled  at,  pushed  from  side  to  side  and  in- 
sulted in  every  way.  People  go  there  as  early 
as  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  in 
order  to  have  the  opportunity  of  signing  an 
application  for  a  passport  the  next  day,  and 
you  usually  meet  hundreds  of  them  congre- 
gated for  that  purpose.  They  may  have  to 
go  back  day  after  day,  until  they  have  the 
opportunity  of  signing  an  application.  That 
does  not  mean  that  they  will  receive  the  pass- 
port; usually  they  wait  for  days  and  weeks 
and   months,   only   to   be   notified   that   their 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  29 

friend  or  relative  has  died,  and  there  is  no 
longer  any  necessity  for  the  journey. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  extent  of  the  Bel- 
gians' sufferings  one  should  have  been  in  Bel- 
gium before  the  war  and  have  known  the  coun- 
try as  it  was  then,  the  most  prosperous  in  the 
world,  the  per  capita  wealth  of  its  people  the 
highest.  Then  the  life  was  that  of  a  happy 
industrious  people,  but  now  almost  at  every 
turn  of  the  street  you  meet  a  funeral  proces- 
sion winding  its  way  slowly,  dismally  to  the 
cemetery,  carrying  either  the  small  body  of 
a  child  that  has  died  of  malnutrition  or  the 
larger  coffin  of  a  man  or  woman  who  has  died 
of  starvation  or  a  broken  heart.  In  all  quar- 
ters of  the  cities,  in  all  sorts  of  weather, 
winter  or  summer,  you  find  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  people  waiting  before  a  building 
in  order  to  receive  at  the  stated  hour  their 
daily  quota  from  some  of  the  Alimentation 
Committees.  These  people  are  not  recruited 
from  the  peasant  or  laboring  classes  alone. 
You  will  find  there  the  erstwhile  prosperous 
merchant,  the  artisan,  the  artist,  professional 
man,  and  even  the  patrician.  God  only  knows 
how  many  of  them  have  passed  away  quietly 


30  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

in  their  beds,  dying  of  sheer  starvation  rather 
than  join  the  bread  lines.  But  gradually  they 
were  forced  to  join  them  and  according  to  the 
latest  reports  almost  two  thirds  of  the  Belgian 
population  is  dependent  in  some  way  or  other 
upon  the  charity  of  the  world.  Starvation  is 
more  or  less  general.  In  the  words  of  the 
Bishop  of  Namur,  the  people  are  just  receiv- 
ing enough  food  to  prevent  them  from  dying, 
and  not  enough  to  live  on.  Even  those  who 
have  a  few  hundred  or  a  few  thousand  francs 
laid  by  are  starving  themselves,  because  they 
do  not  know  how  long  the  war  is  going  to 
last.  Who  can  afford  to  buy  potatoes  at  twen- 
ty cents  a  pound,  butter  or  meat  of  the  worst 
kind  at  several  dollars  a  pound  ?  If  the  Bel- 
gians could  only  have  beans  or  rice  or  other 
nourishing  food,  they  would  deem  themselves 
happy  indeed,  but  such  articles  of  diet  are 
practically  unobtainable.  The  only  kind  of 
bread  that  can  be  had  to  the  extent  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  or  three  hundred  grams  a 
day  is  the  so-called  war  bread,  a  bad  black 
mixture,  filled  with  bits  of  straw  which  must 
be  baked  for  twenty-four  hours  before  dis- 
tribution or  else  it  becomes  fatal  to  health. 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  31 

A  silent  testimony  to  the  pillage  of  the  Hun 
is  supplied  by  the  million  chimneys  without 
smoke'  silhouetted  against  the  Belgian  sky. 
Nowhere  did  I  hear  the  hum  of  machinery. 
Every  factory  had  been  robbed  of  its  equip- 
ment, and  Belgium,  it  must  be  remembered, 
was  one  of  the  world's  greatest  industrial 
countries  before  the  war.  "Why  shouldn't  we 
confiscate  their  machinery!  "  a  German  officer 
said  to  me  one  day.  ''  We  can  use  it  to  make 
bullets  and  other  war  materials!  " 

The  same  reason,  the  insatiable  appetite  of 
the  battlefront,  has  stripped  Belgium  bare. 
Literally  she  is  a  country  left  naked  before  the 
world.  Of  course  it  was  inevitable  that  news 
of  the  pillage  should  penetrate  the  frontiers, 
leaving  humanity  aghast  at  its  cruelty,  but 
not  even  the  mind  of  the  eyewitness  could 
grasp  the  extent  of  the  robbery,  the  system- 
atic sacking  with  which  the  army  of  occupa- 
tion had  laid  its  brutal  hand  upon  King  Al- 
bert's domain.  Here  for  once,  unquestion- 
able proof  seemed  unbelievable. 

Though  Belgium  is  a  country  of  coal  the  last 
winter  I  spent  over  there  people  with  money 
were  offering  as  high  as  fifty  dollars  per  ton, 


32  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

and  they  could  not  obtain  a  supply  even  at  this 
fabulous  price,  while  the  poor  people,  especially 
the  children,  had  to  remain  under  the  bed 
covers  continuously  in  order  to  keep  warm. 
That  in  itself  was  no  easy  task  because  all  the 
woolen  materials  had  been  requisitioned. 
Where  did  the  coal  go!  The  coal  was  sold  by 
Germany  to  Switzerland  and  Holland  and 
Sweden  and  other  neutral  countries  in  ex- 
change for  food — not  food  for  the  Belgians 
but  food  for  themselves. 

So,  to  the  misery  of  hunger  was  added  the 
horror  of  freezing.  I  myself,  during  some  of 
my  visits  to  Belgium,  suffered  bitterly  from 
the  lack  of  fuel,  but  this  privation,  which  I 
could  endure,  proved  too  great  for  many  of 
the  emaciated  natives.  Thus  ^'  frozen  to 
death  "  was  added  to  the  list  of  explanations 
for  the  many  funeral  processions  which  daily 
could  be  seen  wending  their  way  to  the  ceme- 
teries. 

People  stayed  in  bed  continuously,  day  and 
night,  in  order  to  keep  warm.  Schools  were 
closed,  though  a  child  was  no  warmer  in  his 
home  than  he  would  have  been  in  the  school- 
room.    On  mild  winter  days  endless  streams 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  33 

of  people,  baskets  on  their  arms,  would  hope- 
lessly tramp  from  one  place  to  another  in 
their  quest  for  coal.  A  few  of  the  rich  were 
able  to  obtain  a  handful  of  pieces  in  exchange 
for  a  fabulous  price  but  the  poor  got  nothing. 

During  my  last  mission  to  Belgium,  in  a 
winter  season  which  was  the  coldest  in  twenty- 
five  years,  the  coal  scarcity  was  accentuated 
by  the  freezing  of  the  canals.  Practically  all 
horses  had  been  requisitioned  by  the  Germans, 
and  the  tieing  up  of  the  barges  left  the  Bel- 
gians without  means  of  fuel  transportation. 
No  help  was  to  be  had  from  the  railroads,  for 
they  were  almost  exclusively  engaged  in  carry- 
ing supplies  to  the  front.  On  many  occasions 
I  saw  a  dozen  or  more  Belgians,  men  and 
women,  people  of  wealth  and  refinement  haul- 
ing heavy  coal-laden  trucks  along  country 
roads  and  through  city  streets,  stopping  here 
and  there  to  deliver  small  portions  of  their 
burden  at  their  various  homes. 

But,  although  this  coal  seizure  was  a  mon- 
strous horror  it  lacked  the  fiendishness  that 
robbed  Belgium  of  her  wood,  stripped  bare 
her  splendid  forests.  The  coal  supply  could 
hardly  be  hopelessly  depleted,  but  in  the  cut- 


34  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

ting  down  of  acre  after  acre  of  trees  not 
the  slightest  heed  was  given  to  the  country  *s 
future  needs. 

Little  of  this  wood  was  used  for  fuel.  Most 
of  it  was  sent  to  the  front  to  be  used  in  the 
construction  of  lines  of  defense — some  of  them 
by  Belgium  prisoners!  Under  the  German  axe 
the  beautiful  forests  of  Belgium  disappeared 
one  by  one.  During  the  earlier  period  of  in- 
vasion the  control  and  management  of  the 
forests  were  left  to  the  Belgian  Government's 
Department  of  Forestry.  However,  as  their 
military  needs  increased,  the  Germans  began 
to  treat  this  guarantee  with  the  same  con- 
tempt they  had  shown  for  any  treaty  whose 
observance  interfered  with  their  military 
needs. 

In  the  Hertogenwald,  in  the  Province  o^ 
Liege,  timber  to  the  value  of  three  million 
francs  was  sacrificed  to  Hun  pillage.  In  Dol- 
hain,  in  the  same  Province,  not  one  oak  or 
poplar  was  left  standing.  The  splendid  forest 
of  Fumay,  one  of  the  glories  of  Belgian 
natural  resources,  was  completely  denuded.  I 
could  mention  countless  similar  evidences  of 
forest    devastation— it    was    the    same    story 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  35 

throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 
Nature  had  been  systematically  murdered, 
laid  low  under  Hun  butchery. 

Before  the  war  the  Grobbendonck  canal,  in 
the  Province  of  Antwerp,  was  lined  with  stately 
rows  of  trees.  The  last  time  I  saw  those  canal 
banks  they  were  stripped  bare.  The  forest  of 
Aulier,  where  the  best  saplings  in  Belgium 
could  be  found,  was  entirely  denuded.  Num- 
erous saw-mills  were  erected  in  the  splendid 
Forest  de  Soignes,  to  the  South  of  Bruxelles, 
and  Russian  prisoners  of  war  were  set  to 
cutting  down  the  trees  and  turning  them  into 
timber.  Not  a  saw  ceased  buzzing  until  the 
forest  was  a  memory.  A  vast  stretch  of 
stumps  was  all  that  was  left  to  tell  what  it 
had  once  been. 

It  was  after  witnessing  some  of  these  evi- 
dences of  Hun  robbery  that  I  asked  a  promin- 
ent citizen  of  Bruxelles  a  question  that  had 
persisted  in  recurring  to  my  mind. 

**  Tell  me,"  I  said,  ''  do  you  Belgians  regret 
that  you  did  not  allow  the  Germans  to  pass 
through  your  country  unmolested!  Are  you 
not  so  tired  and  weak  from  hunger  and  per- 
secution that  you  desire  peace  at  any  cost!  " 


36  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

**  We  would  be  curs  if  we  regretted  having 
fought  to  uphold  our  honor,"  was  the  answer. 
**  As  for  peace,  let  every  tree  in  our  beloved 
country  disappear;  let  every  home  be  burnt 
and  pillaged;  let  every  life  be  destroyed 
rather  than  consent  to  conclude  peace  with  a 
victorious  Germany!  " 

Even  while  we  were  talking,  every  home  in 
every  corner  of  Belgium  was  being  searched 
by  the  *'  green  devils,"  a  name  given  to 
German  gendarmes  because  of  the  color  of 
their  uniform.  Orders  had  gone  out  demanding 
that  every  scrap  of  aluminum,  tin  and  leather 
in  the  country  be  yielded  up.  Another  order 
commanded  the  people,  already  robbed  of  their 
gold,  to  deliver  every  piece  of  zinc  or  nickel 
money  to  the  Banque  Nationale  or  its  agencies. 
The  bank,  so  the  order  stated  with  char- 
acteristic lack  of  humor,  could  redeem  the 
money  with  paper,  holding  the  metal  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Governor-General.  Despite 
the  penalty  of  a  heavy  fine,  which  was  to  be 
levied  if  this  order  was  disregarded,  not  a 
eingle  Belgian  obeyed.  If  there  was  any  zinc 
or  nickel  currency  in  Belgium  at  the  time,  the 
people  had  concealed  it. 


FIEST  IMPEESSIONS  37 

Financially  the  country  was  drained  almost 
dry  shortly  after  the  invasion  occurred.  Fines 
of  hundreds  of  millions  were  levied  for  no 
other  reason  than  the  Belgians'  resistance,  and 
these  fines  were  continued  at  the  rate  of  $8,000- 
000  per  month. 

Every  expression  of  patriotism  by  the  Bel- 
gians was  seized  as  an  excuse  for  levying  fines. 
The  slightest  infraction  of  the  imposed  laws 
of  tHe  invaders  had  to  be  paid  for  with  an  ex- 
horbitant  money  tribute.  The  commune  of 
Zele,  in  East  Flanders,  was  for  instance,  fined 
80,000  marks  because  some  of  its  inhabitants 
took  food  and  cigarettes  from  their  scanty 
store  and  distributed  them  among  some 
English  prisoners  who  were  passing  through 
on  their  way  to  Germany.  Other  cases  of  in- 
iquitous wholesale  fines  occurred  in  every  part 
of  Belgium. 

The  tragic  result  of  German  rule  is  shown 
by  the  mortality  among  the  Belgian  civilian 
population. 

Consider  the  vital  statistics  of  Bruxelles  and 
its  suburbs  for  the  first  six  months  of  1913, 
the  year  before  the  war.  Then  the  mortality 
records  showed  4,926  deaths  as  against  6,417 


38  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

births.  The  corresponding  period  in  1917 
showed  3,311  births  as  against  7,272  deaths. 
A  prominent  physician  of  Bruxelles  informed 
me  that  Belgian's  capital  had  suffered  a 
frightful  increase  of  tuberculosis  and  rheuma- 
tism cases  among  its  children  and  young 
people  between  1914  and  1916,  an  increase  that 
had  reached  the  appalling  result  of  40%  above 
the  figures  of  1913.  This,  he  stated,  was  dir- 
ectly due  to  lowered  resistance  caused  by  lack 
of  nourishment. 

**  Benevolent  rule  '*  in  Belgium  gave  Ant- 
werp in  1917  a  death  rate  which  almost 
doubled  its  birth  rate.  In  Liege,  during  the 
period  of  the  first  nine  months  of  1917  there 
were  1,123  births  and  2,350  deaths.  Ger- 
many, always  boasting  of  its  life-saving 
science,  must  stand  at  the  bar  of  eternal 
Justice,  accused  of  murder,  confronted  by 
these  records  of  victims  starved  to  death 
that  it  might  quaff  the  cup  of  military  dom- 
ination. 


CHAPTER  III. 
Early  Work  in  Belgium. 

On  my  arrival  in  Bruxelles  I  had  presented 
my  credentials  at  the  Headquarters  of  Gov- 
ernor-General Von  Bissing,  together  with  a 
list  of  the  Belgians  whom  I  desired  to  locate 
and  take  out  of  the  country.  From  the  very 
outset  of  my  mission  obstacles  arose  to  retard 
its  progress.  The  Governor  GeneraPs  Office 
had  jurisdiction  only  over  the  Provinces  of 
Antwerp,  Brabant,  Liege,  Namur,  Limbourg, 
Charleroi  and  Luxembourg,  so  that  it  could 
not  grant  permission  to  travel  in  any  other 
part  of  the  country.  Other  localities  which 
I  must  visit  were  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Kommandanturs  depending  directly  from  the 
military  authorities  in  the  zone  of  operations, 
and  they  were  inaccessible  to  all  persons  not 
connected  with  the  army. 

By  the  greatest  stroke  of  good  luck  I  man- 
aged to   obtain  a  passport  to  Flanders.    It 

39 


40  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

was  for  three  days  only,  but  after  I  reached 
there  I  managed  to  have  it  extended,  three 
days  at  a  time,  until  my  visit  had  covered 
twenty-one  days.  The  restrictions  of  martial 
law  made  it  extremely  difficult  for  me  to 
travel  in  this  section  of  the  country,  but  I 
mana^ged  to  visit  a  number  of  towns  and 
reach  most  of  the  people  I  was  searching  for. 
These  people  were  of  every  class,  and  the 
way  they  received  me  varied  greatly.  While 
some  were  profuse  in  their  gratitude,  others, 
poor  souls,  were  suspicious  of  my  motives. 
In  the  discharge  of  my  duties  I  was  naturally 
compelled  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  German 
authorities,  but  some  of  the  Belgians  could 
not  understand  or  forgive  my  being  polite  to 
the  tyrant.  Many  evidently  considered  me 
pro-German,  but  others  gave  me  their  full 
confidence.  Sometimes  as  many  as  seventy- 
five  Belgians  would  call  on  me  in  one  day 
in  connection  with  my  mission.  Many  of  them 
gave  me  letters  for  friends  or  relatives  in 
America,  and  &o  immune  was  I  from  military 
suspicion  that  I  accepted  these  letters  under 
the  very  noses  of  the  German  officers  living 
at   the   hotel.    Practically    all   the    rooms    in 


A  sna])sliot  of  I-'atlicr  Dc  Villc,  his  interpreters  and  K^^irds, 
taken    in    llruxelles. 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM         41 

the  Palace  Hotel,  where  I  stayed  in  Brussels, 
were  occupied  by  attaches  of  the  military 
government,  and  yet  there  was  not  a  day  of 
my  stay  there  when  my  desk  drawers  and 
trunks  were  not  bulging  with  clandestine  cor- 
respondence and  literature.  My  boldness  was 
my  salvation  and  the  best  means  I  could  have 
employed  to  divert  suspicion  from  myself  and 
from  those  I  was  helping.  Had  I  been  living 
in  a  purely  Belgian  hotel,  German  secret  ser- 
vice men  would  have  found  out  what  I  was 
doing,  and  soon  put  an  end  to  my  activities 
and  freedom,  if  not  to  my  life.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  was  doing — quite  incidently  be- 
cause it  was  not  part  of  my  original  under- 
takings— a  great  deal  of  smuggling  of  corres- 
pondence out  of  Belgium,  and  at  the  same 
time  I  was  constantly  called  upon  to  intercede 
with  the  military  authorities  on  behalf  of 
some  of  my  Belgian  friends  accused  of  of- 
fending in  one  way  or  another. 

One  case  that  interested  me  greatly  was 
that  of  a  priest,  Father  McGuire,  a  splendid 
type  of  Catholic  Irish  missionary.  He  had 
arrived  in  Belgium  shortly  before  the  war, 
but  had  now  received  word  in  some  way  or 


42  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

other  that  his  mother  lay  dying  in  Chicago. 
He  had  made  extraordinary  efforts  to  ob- 
tain a  passport  for  the  United  States,  but 
all  entreaties  had  been  in  vain.  Finally  he 
came  to  me  for  help,  and  I  wrote  to  au- 
thorities on  his  behalf,  urging  that  he  be  al- 
lowed to  leave  Belgium.  A  few  days  later 
I  was  asked  to  call  at  the  Pass  Bureau. 

**  We  cannot  allow  Father  McGuire  to  leave 
the  country."  I  was  told,  "  because  he  is 
a  native  of  Ireland,  and  therefore  a  British 
subject." 

^'  But,"  I  pleaded,  playing  upon  the  Ger- 
mans' vaunted  sympathy  for  Ireland,  **  is 
it  his  fault  that  he  is  a  subject  of  Great 
Britain?  Have  not  his  ancestors  been  en- 
deavoring for  generations  to  free  their  country 
from  English  rule?  " 

The  stolid  German  mind  was  capable  of  only 
one  answer:  **  We  know,  but  we  cannot  over- 
look the  fact  that  he  is  a  subject  of  Great 
Britain." 

I  did  not  give  up  hope.  I  tried  many  chan- 
nels, and  at  last  through  the  intercession  of  the 
German  Chaplain-General,  Dr.  Middendorf, 
the  passport  was  obtaiaied.    It  was,  alas,  too 


EAELY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM         43 

late;  when  Father  McGuire  reached  Chicago 
his  mother  was  dead,  and  he  could  but  visit 
her  grave. 

As  for  the  Belgians  whose  letters  I  smug- 
gled out  of  the  country,  and  for  whom  I 
succeeded  in  obtaining  favors,  many  thought  it 
was  some  great  and  mysterious  influence  with 
the  Germans  that  enabled  me  to  accomplish 
what  I  did.  I  could  not  explain  that  I  en- 
joyed no  special  prerogative,  and  neither 
could  I  explain  my  methods  of  smuggling  let- 
ters ;  the  danger  was  too  great,  and  I  was  not 
the  only  one  involved. 

Many  of  the  German  officials  did  not  show 
much  eagerness  to  aid  me  in  my  mission.  Here 
and  there  I  encountered  an  officer  whose  as- 
sistance proved  that  he  took  some  interest  in 
my  success,  but  more  often  the  answer  would 
be:  "  How  can  you  expect  us  to  bother  with 
anything  so  foreign  to  strategy  when  we  are 
fighting  for  our  existence?  '' 

When  I  seemed  doomed  to  fail  to  obtain 
passports  for  the  people  whom  I  wished  to 
take  to  America,  the  Duke  of  Wurtemburg, 
Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Fourth  Army,  ar- 
rived at  the  hotel  where  I  was  stopping.     I 


44  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

tried  to  reach  him,  but  it  was  impossible  to  do 
so  except  through  his  staff,  and  that  proved  a 
hopeless  task.  They  refused  absolutely  to 
"  trouble  him  with  such  matters." 

In  desparation  I  approached  the  head 
waiter  of  the  hotel,  and  got  him  to  agree  to 
help  me  .  .  .  for  a  price.  It  was  part  of  his 
duties  to  serve  the  Duke,  who  took  his  meals 
alone  in  the  main  dining  room,  and  he  promised 
to  hand  the  royal  guest  a  letter  which  I  had 
written,  requesting  an  audience.  I  did  not 
state  in  it  the  details  of  my  mission,  but  merely 
implored  the  opportunity  to  present  a  petition. 

Two  long,  weary  days  went  by  without  any 
indication  that  my  request  was  to  be  granted, 
and  during  that  time  I  never  left  the  hotel 
for  a  moment  lest  I  be  sent  for  in  my  ab- 
sence. My  heart  sank  with  despair  when 
the  third  day  arrived  and  the  report  was 
circulated  that  the  Duke  was  preparing  to 
depart. 

It  appeared  that  my  request  was  to  be 
ignored,  but  at  the  last  moment  I  was 
summoned  and  asked  to  state  my  business. 
The  Duke's  first  answer  was  a  blunt  refusal 
to    entertain    the    petition,    but    for   half    an 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM         45 

hour  I  pleaded,  advancing  every  argument 
I  could  think  of,  appealing  to  his  pride,  flat- 
tering his  vanity  until  I  won  the  day  and 
left  his  presence  with  the  assurance  that 
my  request  would  be  granted  and  that  my 
people  in  Flanders  would  be  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed with  me  to  their  relatives  in  the  United 
States. 

My  work  in  the  Provinces  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Governor-General  was  attend- 
ed with  less  difficulties,  but  even  there  many 
obstacles  had  to  be  overcome.  Some  of  the 
people  I  was  endeavoring  to  locate  had 
moved  from  the  address  given  me,  some  had 
died,  and  others  had  been  deported  or  had 
fled  to  Holland  in  the  early  exodus  of  re- 
fugees. Grandparents  having  children  in  their 
custody  frequently  refused  to  give  them  up, 
either  from  fear  of  possibly  worse  fate  or 
because  they  could  not  face  the  anguish  of 
parting.  Most  pityful  of  all  were  the  cases 
of  some  girls  who  refused  to  join  their 
fiances  in  America  because  they  considered 
themselves  no  longer  worthy  to  become  a 
good  man's  wife  since  the  coming  of  the 
Hun;    some    had    become    unwilling    mothers 


46  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

and  could  only  ask  for  oblivion  in  their 
martyrdom. 

Most  of  the  people  I  sought,  however,  were 
overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  being  soon  re- 
united to  their  dear  ones.  They  thanked 
me  profusely  for  my  efforts  in  their  be- 
half, but  their  childish  eagerness  added  con- 
siderably to  my  work. 

My  final  instructions  in  every  case  would 
be  for  my  charges  to  meet  at  the  Pass  Bureau 
on  a  certain  day  at  a  certain  hour,  each  of 
them  bearing  his  Identification  Card  and  three 
small  photographs  similar  to  the  one  at- 
tached to  the  Identification  Card.  Some  of 
them  forgot  one  thing  and  some  forgot  an- 
other; some  brought  one  or  two  photophaphs 
instead  of  three,  and  all  of  them  were  in- 
variably late  for  the  reason  that  they  kept 
the  appointment  by  Belgian  time  whereas 
I  had  set  it  by  German  time  which  was  two 
hours  earlier. 

As  my  most  important  engagements  were 
made  wath  the  German  officials,  and  as  I 
frequently  rode  on  trains,  all  of  which  were 
run  on  German  time,  I  found  it  necessary  to 
set  my  watch   according   to   that  time.     The 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM  47 

Belgians,  however,  had  flatly  and  firmly  re- 
fused to  accustom  themselves  to  this  dif- 
ference in  time,  as  I  repeatedly  found  out  to 
my  inconvenience.  I  tried  the  plan  of  tell- 
ing them  to  meet  me  at  the  Pass  Bureau  at 
a  certain  hour  "German  time."  They  would 
look  at  me  contemptuously,  and  though  they 
might  say  nothing  I  could  be  sure  that  they 
would  not  be  on  hand  at  the  hour  specified. 
After  a  while  I  found  that  the  best  method 
was  to  set  the  appointment  according  to  Bel- 
gian time,  figuring  the  difference  myself,  but 
what  with  other  instructions  and  the  necessity 
of  carrying  on  many  conversations  through 
an  interpreter  I  was  beset  with  constant  dif- 
ficulties. 

At  the  Pass  Bureau  the  preparation  of  the 
passports  always  seemed  to  take  much  long- 
er than  was  really  necessary,  but  nothing 
could  be  gained  by  complaining.  At  the  first 
evidence  of  irritation  the  Germans  would  slow 
up  their  work,  or  else  the  anxiety  would  arouse 
suspicions.  Finally,  after  everyone  had  been 
located,  I  would  purchase  tickets  for  the  entire 
group,  check  their  baggage  and  move  them 
all  to  AntwerjD  where  we  would  remain  over- 


48  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

night.  There,  in  order  to  keep  all  together,  I 
would  lodge  everyone  in  a  Belgian  Refuge,  the 
Winnipeg  Hotel,  managed  as  a  war  institution 
by  a  Mr.  Obussier,  and  his  sister,  prominent 
citizens  of  Antwerp  who  were  always  extreme- 
ly kind  and  helpful. 

In  the  morning,  after  again  checking  the 
trunks  and  submitting  all  passports  for  ex- 
amination, I  would  pilot  my  charges  aboard 
a  train  for  Esschen,  a  Dutch  frontier  sta- 
tion. The  long  process  of  examining  every 
person's  baggage,  clothes  and  even  body  for 
smuggled  articles  took  place  there.  All  trav- 
ellers arriving  at  the  frontier  were  ordered 
to  leave  the  train,  carrying  their  own  bag- 
gage to  a  waiting  room  in  the  station.  Doors 
were  locked  and  windows  carefully  guarded 
while  every  piece  of  baggage  was  placed  on 
a  long  bench  which  ran  all  around  the  room, 
and  inspected  by  soldiers.  AU  written  or 
printed  material,  even  a  Testament  and  visit- 
ing cards,  was  confiscated,  and  all  cigars 
or  cigarettes  were  barred,  experience  having 
taught  the  German  authorities  that  the  paper 
and  tobacco  wrappers  could  be  made  to  con- 
ceal messages. 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM         49 

The  search  did  not  stop  at  the*  baggage. 
The  most  minute  examination  was  made  of 
each  person.  The  men  were  taken,  one  at  a 
time,  into  a  private  room  and  examined  by 
soldiers  who  were  experts  at  such  work. 
When  I  crossed  the  Holland  border  I  had 
to  remove  every  stitch  of  clothing  that  I 
wore,  my  body  was  scrutinized  for  code 
marks,  the  soles  of  my  shoes  were  examined 
to  see  if  they  contained  messages  of  any 
kind,  and  for  the  same  reason  the  lining  of 
my  clothes  and  my  hat  band  underwent  a 
thorough  scrutiny.  The  contents  of  my 
purse,  especially  such  bills  as  I  had,  were 
closely  examined.  Gold,  being  considered 
contraband,  was  confiscated  and  German 
ntoney  given  in  its  place. 

Women  and  children  fared  no  better  than 
the  men,  being  examined  by  matrons  as  thor- 
oughly as  the  men,  the  hair  of  the  women 
being  particularly  searched  for  hidden  mes- 
sages. The  trimming  was  removed  from 
their  hats,  the  heels  from  their  shoes,  and 
their  gold  jewelry  was  confiscated. 

Although  I  always  gave  explicit  instruc- 
tions to  my  charges  not  to  bring  any  printed 


50  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

or  written  matter,  many  of  them  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  carry  letters,  news- 
papers or  postcards.  Some  of  these  people 
had  so  much  written  or  printed  matter  stored 
away  in  their  trunks  that  only  by  repeated 
entreaties  was  I  able  to  save  them  from  be- 
ing turned  back. 

One  good  woman  had  her  trunk  more  than 
half  filled  with  the  cheapest  grade  of  cotton. 
She  told  me  that  someone  had  informed  her 
that  cotton  was  very  scarce,  and  consequently 
very  expensive,  in  America,  and  she  hoped 
to  make  a  little  money  by  selling  her  meagre 
supply.  Another  one  had  her  entire  trunk 
filled  with  the  cheapest  chinaware,  each  piece 
carefully  wrapped  in  tissue  paper  and  cloth. 
As  her  baggage  was  examined — and  each 
piece  had  to  be  unwrapped — the  floor  of  the 
station  became  strewn  with  crockery,  rags 
and  paper.  The  shrieking  color  and  horrible 
design  of  the  china  irritated  m,e,  and  I  walked 
over  to  protest  with  her. 

**  My  dear  woman,"  I  said,  "  I  told  you 
not  to  bring  any  useless  things.  Don't  you 
see    the    delay    and    inconvenience    you    are 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM         51 

causing?  Why  did  you  burden  yourself  with 
a  lot  of  stuff  that  isn't  worth  anything!  " 

She  looked  at  me  sadly,  with  reproachful 
eyes. 

**  They  are  not  worthless  to  me,"  she 
answered*  *'  For  many  years  they  have  oc- 
cupied the  place  of  honor  in  our  home.  We 
used  them  for  wedding  feasts  and  when  our 
children  were  baptised,  and  we  treasured  them 
so  much  that  I  could  not  leave  them  behind." 

Following  the  personal  search  came  the  ex- 
amination of  passports.  This  was  done  by 
three  officers,  one  of  whom  inspected  -the 
form  to  make  sure  that  it  was  not  a  for- 
gery, while  another  consulted  the  records 
in  case  there  might  be  instructions  to  detain 
the  passport's  owner,  and  the  third  officer 
compared  the  photograph  and  description 
on  the  passport  with  the  appearance  of  the 
person  who  presented  it.  Only  after  all 
these  formalities  were  we  allowed  to  proceed 
into  Holland,  and  it  was  with  a  profound  sigh 
of  relief  that  I  crossed  the  frontier. 

We  reached  the  Hague  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  only  to  find  that  the  steam- 
er sailed  that  night  at  eight  and  that,  des- 


52  BACK  FROM  BELGIUIl 

pite  my  cabled  request  to  the  United  States, 
the  passage  fare  and  expenses  of  my  party 
had  not  been  received. 

There  I  was,  ahnost  penniless,  custodian 
of  more  than  four  hundred  helpless  Belgians 
who,  like  myself,  were  without  funds.  My 
temper  was  ruffled  for  I  had  had  no  end  of 
trouble  getting  my  charges  across  the  fron- 
tier; I  was  loaded  down  with  baggage  and 
bundles  belonging  to  some  of  the  unattached 
children  in  the  crowd,  and  I  had  gone  the  en- 
tire day  without  food.  A  feeling  of  despair 
came  over  me;  my  mind  refused  to  work,  and, 
for  a  moment  I  felt  like  abandoning  the  en- 
tire undertaking. 

But — there  were  those  sorrowful,  appeal- 
ing eyes  turned  upon  me,  so  I  pulled  my- 
self together  and  started  out  to  find  the 
Director-General  of  the  Holland-American 
line  and  see  if  I  could  not  pursuade  him  into 
allowing  my  party  to  make  the  trip  and  col- 
lect the  fares  at  the  termination  of  the  voy- 
age. 

**  I  am  sorry,'*  he  said  in  answer  to  my 
.entreaties.  **  the  granting  of  your  request 
is  out  of  the  question." 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM         53 

"  But  think  what  your  refusal  means,'* 
I  pleaded.  **  If  I  cannot  get  these  poor  peo- 
ple out  of  Holland  your  government  will  in- 
tern them  in  refugee  camps;  they  will  be 
scattered  here  and  there,  and  it  will  take 
weeks  to  reassemble  them.  My  work  will  be 
practically  undone.*' 

**  I  appreciate  that,"  he  answered,  **  but 
I  cannot  assume  responsibility  for  the  pas- 
sage of  so  many.  If  it  were  a  question  of 
guaranteeing  the  expenses  of  fifteen  or  twen- 
ty, I  would  advance  the  necessary  funds 
myself.  Your  crowd  is  too  large;  I  could 
not  give  them  passage  without  the  consent  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  line." 

*'  Can  you  not  convene  the  Board  I  "  I 
asked. 

"  The  time  is  too  short,"  was  the  answer. 
"  Barely  three  hours  remain  between  now 
and  sailing  time." 

I  rushed  from  the  Director-GeneraPs  of- 
fice bewildered.  My  charges,  suspecting 
something  had  gone  wrong,  crowded  about 
me,  alarmed  and  nervous,  some  of  them 
weeping.  One  look  at  them,  and  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  move  heaven  and  earth  before  I 


54  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

would  abandon  the  hope  of  getting  them  on 
the  steamer  that  night. 

I  summoned  a  taxi  and  ordered  the  driver 
to  take  me  to  the  residence  of  a  Dutch  baron, 
a  friend,  who  I  was  sure  would  help  me. 
But,  alas,  when  I  arrived  at  his  home  I  was 
told  that  he  had  gone  to  Amsterdam  on  a 
matter  of  business  and  would  not  be  back 
for  several  days.  There  was  but  one  thing 
left  for  me  to  do  and  that  was  appeal  to 
the  American  Minister,  Mr.  Van  Dyke,  whom 
I  had  not  seen  since  he  had  declined  to  aid 
me  in  getting  a  passport  into  Belgium.  With 
mingled  determination  and  misgiving  I  or- 
dered the  chauffeur  to  take  me  to  the  Am- 
erican legation. 

Mr.  Van  Dyke  received  me  at  once. 

**  I  have  more  than  four  hundred  Belgian 
women  and  children  at  the  oflSce  of  the  Hol- 
land-American line,*'  I  announced  abrupt- 
ly," and  I  cannot  get  them  out  of  the  coun- 
try because  their  passage  money  has  not 
yet  arrived." 

**  Four  hundred  Belgians!"  he  exclaimed. 
**  Where  did  you  get  them?  " 

**  In  Belgium." 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM  55 

''  But  how  did  you  get  into  Belgium?  " 
he  asked. 

''  Through  the  German  Foreign  Office  in 
Berlin,*'  I  explained,  and  then,  with  a  feel- 
ing of  pride  which  I  could  not  entirely  con- 
ceal, I  added:  "  The  German  Government 
has  endorsed  my  mission  and  has  given  me 
considerable  assistance  in  its  discharge." 

"  Well,  well,  you  are  to  be  congratulated," 
exclaimed  Mr.  Van  Dyke,  with  a  sincerity 
that  swept  away  all  resentment  and  made 
me  his  friend  at  once.  *'  I  didn't  believe  it 
could  be  done.  Now  what  can  I  do  to  help 
you?  " 

I  related  my  experiences  of  the  day,  and 
when  I  had  finished  Mr.  Van  Dyke  called  up 
the  Director-General  of  the  Holland-Ameri- 
san  line.  He  pleaded  with  him  for  an  hour, 
refusing  to  hang  up  the  telephone  receiver 
until  the  coveted  permission  had  been  granted. 
In  the  end,  when  all  arguments  and  ex- 
planations had  proved  futile,  Mr.  Van  Dyke 
personally  guaranteed  the  passage  money, 
and  I  hurried  back  to  my  precious  cargo  at 
the  steamship  office. 

"  Well,"  I  said  to  mysef  when  I  had  seen 


56  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

the  last  of  my  charges  safely  tucked  away 
aboard  the  boat,  **  now  the  troubles  of  this 
trip  are  at  an  end." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  they  had  just  began. 
Many  Polish  Jews  had  taken  passage  on  the 
same  steamer,  and  as  they  all  spoke  German 
the  members  of  my  party  immediately  classi- 
fied them  as  their  enemies.  Try  as  I  might 
I  could  not  satisfactorily  explain  that  their 
language  did  not  necessarily  make  them  sub- 
jects of  the  Kaiser. 

**  They  speak  German  and  they  must  be 
Germans,"  was  the  ultimatum  that  greeted 
my  every  argument. 

After  many  pleas  and  much  trouble  the 
boat  steward  finally  managed  to  separate 
the  Belgians  from  the  Jews  so  that  they  occu- 
pied different  sections  of  the  steerage  quar- 
ters, but,  even  so,  they  were  forced  to  mingle 
more  or  less,  and  scarcely  an  hour  passed 
that  I  was  not  called  upon  to  adjust  some 
factional  quarrel. 

To  make  matters  worse,  measles  broke  out 
among  the  members  of  my  party  and  th^ 
disease  quickly  spread  to  the  Jews.  Then 
Israel  stormed  my  stateroom,  showering  re- 


EARLY  WORK  IN  BELGIUM  57 

proaches  upon  my  helpless  shoulders  and 
begging  me  to  bid  my  charges  keep  their 
illness  to  themselves.  In  vain  I  tried  to  ex- 
plain my  impotence  to  eradicate  the  cause  of 
their  troubles,  that  it  was  through  no  fault 
of  mine  that  measles  were  contagious.  They 
would  have  none  of  my  excuses;  either  I 
must  make  myself  master  of  their  comfort 
and  the  captain  of  their  health,  or  else  openly 
proclaim  myself  their  enemy. 

But  matters  were  soon  balanced  by  a  fate 
which,  though  unkind  to  my  accusers,  brought 
at  least  temporary  relief  to  me.  "Within  a  few 
days  chickenpox  broke  out  among  the  Jews 
and  spread  to  the  Belgians.  Then  I  became 
the  victim  of  censure  at  the  hands  of  my 
own  party,  though  of  course  their  case  had 
been  weakened  by  their  own  epedemic  of 
measles. 

Eventually  the  voyage  came  to  an  end,  as 
all  voyages  must,  and  with  its  termination 
all  petty  troubles  faded  into  nothingness.  I 
had  brought  about  four  hundred  persons  to 
safety,  and,  looking  back,  I  realize  that  it  was 
through  the  experiences  of  this  first  mission 
that  I  learned  to  conquer  many  of  the  diffi- 


58  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

culties  of  my  subsequent  labor  in  Belgium. 

My  charges  were  greeted  on  arrival  by 
their  anxious  relatives,  and  all  the  way  from 
New  York  to  their  homes  they  met  little 
kindnesses  which  would  bring  tears  to  their 
eyes.  At  stations  where  changes  were  made 
people  seemed  only  too  glad  to  assist  in  tak- 
ing care  of  the  wants  of  the  women  and  chil- 
dren. At  one  place  at  least  a  hotel  keeper 
offered  the  best  rooms  in  the  house  and  all 
meals  free  if  some  of  the  children  could  he 
permitted  to  rest  there   over  night. 

Lucky  little  children,  how  their  fate  would 
be  envied  by  the  millions  of  littla  ones  still 
waiting  for  freedom  behind  the  German 
prison  bars. 


CHAPTER  rV. 

Beuxelles. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  war,  life  seemed 
almost  normal  in  the  capital,  except  for  the 
srowds  of  soldiers  to  be  seen  everywhere. 
Such  conditions,  however,  were  only  appar- 
ent, and  visitors  soon  noticed  how  many 
houses  seemed  closed  and  deserted,  how 
many  stores  had  their  shutters  drawn  down. 
Their  owners  had  too  evidently  fled  at  the 
enemy's  approach,  or  locked  up  their  homes 
while  they  joined  King  Albert's  army. 

Of  the  finest  houses,  most  are  now  occu- 
pied by  German  officers  while  the  beautiful 
buildings  of  the  Belgian  government  are 
used  by  the  invaders  for  their  innumerable 
"  Bureaux  ";  in  one  of  them  they  even 
house  a  small  force  to  handle  the  colonial 
affairs  of  Germany. 

As  time  wore  on,  a  great  change  was  grad- 

59 


60  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

ually  wrought  upon  the  population  of  Brux- 
elles.  The  bread  line  kept  increasing  in 
size,  many  of  the  people  in  it  being  evi- 
dently persons  of  refinement.  Threadbare 
coats,  battered  hats  and  wornout  shoes  could 
no  longer  be  concealed.  Few  could  afford  to 
buy  a  new  suit  of  clothes  or  a  new  pair  of 
shoes  at  the  fabulous  prices  that  prevailed, 
and  the  windows  of  the  remaining  stores 
gradually  grew  empty.  Some  stores  are 
still  open  to  accomodate  customers,  but  few  of 
the  owners  are  making  a  living  from  their 
business.  Tobacco  stores,  some  of  the  caf^s 
and  a  few  of  the  stationery  and  souvenir 
stores  are  an  exception,  because  of  the  pat- 
ronage extended  to  them  by  the  Germans. 

A  few  theatres  are  still  open  for  the  en- 
tertainment of  the  officers,  the  soldiers  and  a 
host  of  German  civilians  who  infest  the  city. 
Most  of  these  civilians  are  connected  with  the 
multitude  of  *'  Zentralen ''  established  by 
the  Government  of  occupation  in  order  to 
systematically  rob  Belgium  of  all  it  pos- 
sessed. There  is  an  Oil  Zentrale,  a  Coal 
Zentrale,  a  Leather  Zentrale,  a  Wool  Zen- 
trale, a  Potato  Zentrale,  etc.    At  the  head  of 


BEUXELLES  61 

each  is  a  German  expert  in  that  particular 
branch  of  commerce  or  industry,  assisted  by 
hundreds  of  other  men  similarly  drawn  from 
the  Fatherland,  and  the  business  of  all  is 
to  scour  the  land  in  every  direction  for  what 
they  may  steal.  Their  work  is  eflBcient  and 
ruthless,  and  little  is  left  to  the  poor  Bel- 
gians after  the  German  officials  have  seized 
everything  in  sight. 

Inevitably  there  are  a  few  Belgians  who 
give  help  to  the  invader  for  the  sake  of  per- 
sonal profit,  but  such  Belgians  are  despised 
beyond  words  by  the  patriots  and  marked  for 
after-the-war   punishment. 

Hardly  a  day  passes  by  without  some  new 
orders  being  issued  to  the  population  of 
Bruxelles  by  means  of  varicolored  posters. 
It  may  be  an  injunction  to  be  inside  their 
homes  by  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  under 
pain  of  fine  or  imprisonment,  it  may  be 
the  requisition  of  something  previously 
overlooked  by  the  German  master-thieves,  or 
it  may  be  the  red  poster  announcing  the  exe- 
cution of  a  few  Belgian  patriots. 

Prisoners  and  wounded  are  constantly 
passing  through  Bruxelles   on  their  "Way  to 


62  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

Germany,  but  the  trains  go  through  chiefly 
at  night  and  without  stopping.  When  a  train 
loaded  with  prisoners  or  wounded  passes 
a  train  that  carries  civilians,  all  windows 
and  shutters  of  both  trains  are  closed.  In 
the  early  days  troop  trains  could  be  dis- 
tinguished by  the  singing  of  the  men,  but 
now  they  are  silent  and  war-weary.  When  a 
regiment  marches  through  the  town  there  is 
still  **  regulation  singing,"  but  even  then  a 
note  of  hopelessness  is  apparent. 

Occassionally,  military  bands  give  a  con- 
cert in  one  of  the  public  squares — usually  af- 
ter some  German  victory.  In  fine  weather 
these  places  are  normally  filled  with  the  in- 
habitants of  Bruxelles,  but  as  soon  as  the 
first  note  is  sounded  the  people  hurry  off  in 
all  directions,  and  within  a  few  minutes  the 
spot  is  empty  of  Belgians. 

I  was  in  Bruxelles  when  Miss  Cavell's 
sentence  was  announed.  I  had  spent  the  en- 
tire day  at  the  Bruxelles  Pass  Bureau,  ob- 
taining passports  for  three  hundred  Bel- 
gians I  was  to  take  out  of  Belgium  the  fol- 
lowing day.  Shortly  after  sundown  I  left 
the  Pass  Bureau  and  started  for  my  hotel. 


BEUXELLES  63 

Coming  down  the  hill  at  the  end  of  the  Jar- 
din  Botanique  I  observed  an  immense  crowd 
congregated  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Neuve 
and  as  I  drew  nearer  I  saw  that  they  were 
reading  what  I  surmised  to  be  the  latest 
aflfiche. 

**  It  must  be  the  bulletin  of  some  great 
battle  or  a  new  sensational  order  of  the  mili- 
tary authorities,"  I  said  to  myself  as  I 
joined  the  crowd.  I  waited  a  good  half  hour 
before  I  could  get  near  enough  to  read  the 
poster;  those  in  the  front  ranks  were  loath 
to  make  way  for  their  neighbors;  the  yellow 
sheet  of  paper  with  its  black  hieroglyphics 
seemed   to   exert   some    strange   fascination. 

Although  there  were  several  hundred  per- 
sons in  the  crowd  the  most  religious  silence 
prevailed.  I  had  noticed  that  it  was  always 
thus  when  Belgians  deigned  to  read  the  de- 
crees of  the  government  of  occupation.  The 
prevalence  of  spies  made  it  dangerous  for 
them  to  indulge  in  comment.  On  this  parti- 
cular occasion,  however,  it  was  very  appar- 
ent that  the  Belgians  were  under  high  ten- 
sion of  feeling;  their  fists  were  clenched, 
their  lips  compressed.     As  I  gradually  made 


64  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

my  way  through  the  gathering  I  saw  that 
the  eyes  of  some  were  moist,  while  others 
flashed  glances  of  cold  scorn.  Finally,  when 
I  had  managed  to  draw  near  enough  to  the 
affche  to  read  its  message  I  saw  that  it  an- 
nounced the  acquittal  of  eight  persons  ac- 
cused of  treason,  sentence  of  imprisonment 
for  from  two  to  eight  years  for  seventeen 
others,  sentences  of  ten  and  fifteen  years  at 
hard  labor  for  five  others,  and  death  sentences 
for  five.  Included  in  these  last  five  sentences 
was  the  name  of  Edith  Cavell.  The  name  was 
strange  to  me;  that  was  the  first  time  I  had 
heard  of  Miss  CavelL 

The  next  day  I  went  to  Holland  where  I 
remained  for  a  week,  completing  arrange- 
ments for  the  passage  of  my  charges.  Mean- 
while the  news  of  the  execution  reached  the 
outside  world,  with  the  result  now  so  well 
known.  I  was  besieged  with  inquiries  about 
the  case,  and  I  could  scarcely  wait  for  my 
return  to  Belgium  to  learn  the  details. 

I  talked  with  many  persons  who  knew  Miss 
Cavell  intimately,  and  without  exception  they 
spoke  of  her  as  a  saint,  a  great  beautiful 
soul    housed    behind    rather    plain    features. 


BRUXELLES  65 

Among  those  with  whom  I  discussed 
the  trial  and  execution  was  a  nurse  who  had 
been  attached  to  Miss  CavelPs  institute,  a 
place  which  had  originally  been  a  training 
school  for  nurses  but  which  was  transformed 
shortly  after  war  broke  out  into  a  hospital 
for  sick  and  wounded  soldiers.  This  nurse 
gave  me  the  last  letter  written  by  Miss  Ca- 
vell,  a  missive  penned  during  her  imprison- 
ment in  the  jail  of  St.  Gilles.  It  is  here- 
with reproduced.  It — better  than  any  state- 
ment I  could  make — bespeaks  the  character 
of  its  author. 

I  had  it,  upon  the  word  of  those  who  were 
acquainted  with  each  detail  of  Edith  Cavell's 
trial,  that  it  was  not  her  conviction  of  the 
charge  for  which  she  was  arrested  that 
caused  the  death  sentence  to  be  passed.  It 
was  the  things  she  revealed,  of  which  the 
military  authorities  had  known  nothing,  that 
lod  to  her  execution.  Hun  pride  was  wound- 
ed; the  Government  of  occupation  was  furi- 
ous that  a  woman  had  been  able  to  outwit  its 
elaborate  system  of  espionage,  and  nothing 
less  than  its  feminine  opponent's  life  would 
soothe  its  outraged  vanity. 


66  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

In  reviewing  the  Cavell  trial  and  execu- 
tion it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  by  virtue 
of  her  vocation  Miss  Cavell  was,  theoreti- 
cally at  least,  protected  by  international 
law.  Nurses  are  immune  fromi  many  of 
the  war  time  restrictions  imposed  upon  civil- 
ians and,  by  a  strict  interpretaton  of  the  let- 
ter of  the  law,  Edith  Cavell  took  advantage 
of  the  immunity  she  enjoyed  to  bring  con- 
sternation to  the  government  which  was  ex- 
tending her  immunity.  By  the  same  strict 
interpretation  it  must  be  remembered  that 
her  sex  did  not  mitigate  the  result  of  her 
offense.  But  her  execution  left  humanity 
aghast  because  the  German  military  author- 
ities showed  themselves  incapable  of  being 
moved  by  the  spirit  of  the  law  under  which 
she  was  tried.  In  her  sentence  barbarism 
ruled  unbridled. 

The  impetus  thus  given  to  Hun  lust  made 
itself  further  evident  in  the  attempted  per- 
secution of  Maitre  Gaston  de  Laval,  attorney 
to  the  American  legation  in  Bruxelles,  who 
was  chiefly  instrumental  in  announcing  the 
execution  to  the  world.  M.  de  Laval  was  as- 
signed by  Minister  Whitlock  to  act  as  Misa 


BRUXELLB8  67 

Cavell's  counsel  and  he,  more  than  anyone 
else  connected  with  the  American  Legation, 
knew  the  details  of  the  case. 

The  German  government,  immediately  it 
was  confronted  with  the  storm  of  condemiia- 
tion  caused  by  the  execution,  insisted  that 
M.  de  Laval,  being  a  Belgian,  was  unfriend- 
ly to  the  Germans  and  must  leave  the  official 
family  of  the  American  Legation.  M.  de 
Laval  quite  as  promptly  refused  to  leave 
unless  ordered  to  do  so  by  Washington. 
The  German  Government  then  threatened 
him  with  arrest. 

Minister  Whitlock  made  a  personal  appeal 
to  the  military  authorities  to  abandon  their 
proposed  action,  and  they  acquiesced  with  a 
promptitude  that  was  nothing  if  not  amaz- 
ing. But  there  was  method  in  their  seeming 
leniency,  for  they  immediately  announced 
that  M.  de  Laval  would  not  be  arrested  pro- 
viding he  severed  his  connection  with  the 
American  Legation. 

^  ''  When  this  decision  was  conveyed  to 
me, ' '  said  M.  de  Laval,  ' '  I  was  momentar- 
ily at  a  loss  to  understand  the  unexpected 
outburst  of  German  generosity.    Then  I  real- 


68  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

ized  the  motive  that  lay  behind  the  offer  of 
immunity,  and  flatly  refused  to  accept  the 
terms  by  which  my  liberty  was  to  be  granted. 
The  attempted  trick  of  the  enemy  was  trans- 
parent; few  days  would  have  passed  after 
my  severance  from  the  American  Legation 
before  the  military  authorities  would  have 
found  some  pretext  to  seize  me  and  con- 
demn me  to  imprisonment  or  perhaps  death. 

**  My  answer  was  that  I  refused  to  resign 
unless  the  German  government  granted  safe 
conduct  to  myself  and  family  across  the 
Holland  frontier.  This  request  was  refused, 
as  I  had  anticipated.  Minister  Whitlock 
then  cabled  the  State  Department  at  "Wash- 
ington, asking  that  it  make  a  formal  request 
of  Germany  that  I  be  granted  safe  conduct 
into  Holland.  Washington  made  the  request 
immediately  and,  as  Berlin  could  advance  no 
good  reason  for  its  refusal,  I  was  permitted 
to  leave  Belgium." 

The  Cavell  case  only  revealed  to  the  world 
one  example  of  the  spirit  of  devotion  and 
self-sacrifice  which  women  have  shown  in  all 
crises  of  history,  and  of  which  I  have  seen 
many   humbler   but   equally   heroic   examples 


during  my  stay  in  Belgium. 

The  famous  Burgomaster  of  Bruxelles, 
Adolplie  Max,  comes  only  second  to  the  King 
himself  in  the  affections  of  the  people  of 
that  city.  On  August  19th,  1914,  the  day 
preceding  the  entry  of  German  troops  into 
Bruxelles,  Mr.  Max  was  feverishly  prepar- 
ing the  defence  of  the  city,  but  at  the  last 
moment,  the  King,  in  order  to  spare  Brux- 
elles, ordered  its  surrender.  During  the  try- 
ing days  that  followed,  Mr.  Max  courageous- 
ly and  unceasingly  championed  the  cause  of 
his  fellow-citizens,  and  defied  the  invaders 
who  were  breaking  every  international  law 
as  well  as  every  law  of  moral  decency.  He 
was  not  afraid  to  publicly  give  the  lie  to 
the  German  Governor,  and  some  of  the  post- 
ers signed  by  Mr.  Max  will  remain  histori- 
cal documents  as  long  as  the  German  crime 
of  1914  is  remembered.  He  was  soon  re- 
moved by  the  Germans  and  sent  to  a  for- 
tress, from  which  grave  reports  filtered  out 
concerning    the    state    of    his    health. 

In  spite  of  the  harsh  German  rules,  or  per- 
haps because  of  them,  patriotism  in  Brux- 
elles is  growing  greater  and  stronger  every 


70  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

day.  Proscribed  from  school  and  street  and 
theatre,  Belgium's  national  anthem,  the  Bra- 
banconne,  has  taken  refuge  in  the  churches 
where  it  is  often  sung  at  the  end  of  the  ser- 
vices. The  priests  deliver  patriotic  address- 
es in  more  or  less  veiled  form,  and  I  have 
listened  often  to  splendid  sermons  dealing 
on  the  surface  with  some  theme  from  the 
Gospels,  but  having  a  hidden  metaphorical 
meaning  which  every  person  present  under- 
stood. Several  ministers  of  various  denom- 
inations have  been  arrested  and  punished 
for  this  at  various  times,  but  their  spirit 
of  courage  has  influenced  those  who  were 
left. 

The  anniversary  of  Belgian  Independence 
is  celebrated  on  July  21st,  and  on  that  day 
of  1915  Bruxelles  presented  a  sad  sight  in- 
deed to  the  stranger.  It  was  a  day  of  gen- 
eral protest,  and  the  people  walked  through 
the  streets  or  parks  dressed  in  mourning. 
The  Belgian  tricolor  being  forbidden,  they 
wore  ivy  leaves  as  emblems  of  eternal  faith- 
fulness. The  shutters  of  all  houses  and 
shops  were  closed. 

A  year  later  the  Huns  sought  to  kill  mem- 


BRUXELLES  71 

ories  of  past  liberty  by  forbidding  the  wear- 
ing of  ivy  leaves  and  by  ordering  all  pub- 
lic places  to  keep  open.  Many  people  dis- 
obeyed, and  cheerfully  paid  heavy  fines  or 
went  to  prison.  The  shops  that  were  open 
had  empty  windows  and  plainly  showed  that 
customers  were  not  desired,  while  some  gro- 
ceries displayed  the  national  colors  in  their 
windows  by  a  careful  grouping  of  yellow 
lemons,  red  tomatoes  and  black  grapes.  As 
a  substitute  for  the  forbidden  ivy  leaf,  green 
ribbons — the  color  of  hope, — were  seen  in 
every  buttonhole,  on  every  hat  and  even  on 
the  dogs  and  horses  of  defiant  Bruxelles. 
The  forbidden  Belgian  flag  was  replaced  by 
American  Stars  and  Stripes  as  an  emblem 
of  freedom,  and  as  America  was  neutral 
the  furious  Germans  could  not  forbid  the 
display  of  its  colors. 


CHAPTER  V. 

FuETHER  Missions. 

The  result  of  my  first  trip  so  encouraged 
the  hopes  of  the  many  Belgians  scattered 
througout  the  United  States  and  Canada 
that  hundreds  of  letters  poured  into  the  of- 
fice of  the  Belgian-American  Alliance. 
Classifying  these  requests,  communicating 
with  their  authors  and  arranging  the  thou- 
sand and  one  incidental  details  soon  became 
a  task  of  such  magnitude  that  Mr.  Streyck- 
mans,  President  of  the  Alliance,  asked  Fa- 
ther Stillemans,  Director  of  the  Belgian 
Bureau  of  New  York,  to  undertake  the  work 
and  give  it  the  benefit  of  his  experience  and 
knowledge  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  Bel- 
gium. Father  Stillemans  gladly  undertook 
the  task,  with  the  result  that  when  time  came 
for  me  to  depart  upon  my  second  mission  I 
was  in  possession  of  a  splendidly  compiled 
list  of  over  1500  names. 

72 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  73 

Applications  had  come  from  almost  every 
state  in  the  Union,  but  most  of  them  had  ori- 
ginated in  Oregon,  Nebraska,  Illinois  and  In- 
diana, while  a  considerable  number  came 
from  Canada.  Many  were  from  husbands  im- 
ploring us  to  liberate  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren from  the  yoke  of  the  Hun;  anxious 
sons  begged  us  to  locate  their  parents  and 
bring  them  to  a  home  prepared  for  them; 
lovers  beseeched  us  to  find  the  maid  whom 
they  had  left  behind  when  coming  to  build 
their  fortunes  across  the  ocean. 

One  case  which  I  often  remember  is  of 
two  lovers  who  had  grown  up  together  in  a 
picturesque  Belgian  village.  They  had  lived 
in  adjoining  cottages,  gone  to  school  hand  in 
hand  and  played  their  childhood  games  un- 
der the  sycamore  trees  that  lined  the  dark 
waters  of  the  canal.  They  had  worshipped 
side  by  side  in  the  same  little  village  church 
as  side  by  side  they  had  worked  in  the  fields, 
and  because  they  were  inexperienced  and  so 
wrapped  in  one  another  they  had  loved  not 
wisely  but  too  well.  The  young  man,  too 
poor  to  marry  the  maid,  had  left  for  Am- 
erica, -/owing  thnt  ho  wonld  send  for  his  be- 


74  BACK  FBOM  BELGIUM 

loved  as  soon  as  lie  could  provide  a  home 
for  her.  A  few  months  after  his  departure 
she  gave  birth  to  twins.  Patiently  she  bore 
the  denunciation  of  her  parents,  the  snubs 
of  her  friends,  the  sneer&  of  the  hypocriti- 
cal villagers.  She  did  not  mind  the  isolation 
to  which  her  sin  had  condemned  her;  simple 
and  primitive  soul  that  she  was,  to  her  it 
did  not  seem  a  sin.  She  had  her  babies — 
their  babies — and  her  love  for  them  and  for 
their  father  filled  her  life  completely. 

At  first  the  letters  from  the  new  world 
came  with  regularity;  later  long  intervals  of 
terrifying  silence  intervened.  But  always 
the  letters  narrated  the  odyssey  of  the 
young  immigrant,  his  disappointments  and 
difficulties,  his  hopes  and  his  achievements  in 
the  new  country.  Then  the  war  came,  and 
for  mlore  than  a  year  the  silence  was  unbrok- 
en. During  this  time  her  hope  never  fal- 
tered, and  when  I  found  her  and  she  learned 
that  I  had  come  to  take  her  to  America  and 
her  beloved,  she  fell  on  her  knees  and  wept 
tears  of  joy,  crying  aloud  that  I  was  a  hea- 
ven-sent messenger. 

During   the   long,    trying   journey   home   I 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  75 

often  had  occasion  to  admire  her  patience 
and  passionate  love  for  the  children.  Every 
time  I  caressed  them  she  would  say,  as  tears 
swelled  to  her  eyes:  '*  The  little  angels 
will  at  last  know  their  father,  and  as  they 
grow  older  I  shall  teach  them  to  pray  for 
you  daily  and  love  you  because  you  have 
been  our  benefactor."  They  were  going  to 
him,  the  husband  and  father,  to  live  with 
him — what  else  mattered?  What  were  the  long 
delays,  the  many  inconveniences,  the  sea- 
sickness and  the  measles  with  which  they 
were  seized?  They  were  going  to  him,  and 
nothing  else  counted.  After  having  waited 
for  three  long  years  she  could  afford  to 
bear  a  few  more  burdens  and  wait  a  little 
longer. 

The  reunion  was  so  touching  that  all  who 
witnessed  it  were  visibly  affected.  There 
was  the  happy  father,  a  child  on  each  arm, 
two  pairs  of  little  arms  about  his  neck  and  a 
baby  cheek  held  close  to  each  of  his,  with  a 
radiant  mother  embracing  the  group,  her 
lips  pressed  close  to  those  of  the  father  in  a 
long,  happy  kiss.  It  was  a  picture  worthy 
of  the  brush  of  a  master.     I  waited  at  Ellis 


76  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

Island  until  Father  Stillemans  had  united  the 
happy  parents  and  then,  with  many  protesta- 
tions of  gratitude,  they  bade  me  good-bye. 

A  few  days  later  I  learned  that  the  mother 
and  children  were  dead.  The  husband  had 
been  obliged  to  leave  his  family  a  few  hours 
one  evening,  and  the  mother,  after  putting 
the  children  to  bed,  had  sat  down  to  w^ite  me 
a  letter.  Christmas  was  approaching,  and 
she  had  wanted  to  send  me  the  greetings 
of  the  season  and  tell  me  how  happy  she 
was  in  her  new  home.  Evidently  she  had  be- 
come drowsy  before  the  letter  was  finished 
and  after  blowing  out  the  gas,  about  the  use 
of  which  the  husband  had  forgotten  to  in- 
struct her,  she  had  laid  down  beside  the 
children.  The  husband,  returning  home, 
found  them  asphyxiated.  Some  time  later, 
he  sent  me  a  picture  of  the  children  and  the 
mother's  unfinished  letter;  they  are  among 
the  prized  mementos  of  my  second  voyage. 

I  had  to  bring  back  many  unattached  chil- 
dren, and  the  care  of  these  added  to  my  diffi- 
culties. I  have  had  as  many  as  sixty  unat- 
tached little  ones  at  a  time,  ranging  from 
two  to  nine  years  of  age.    After  many  frights 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  77 

caused  by  the  temporary  loss  of  some  young- 
sters who  persisted  in  wandering  off  by 
themselves,  I  hit  upon  the  plan  of  distribut- 
ing them  among  the  women  of  the  party.  If 
a  woman  was  accompanied  by  one  child  of 
her  own,  I  would  entrust  her  with  the  super- 
vision of  two  or  three  of  the  unattached 
children.  "Women  who  had  two  or  three 
children  were  given  one  other  one  to  look 
after.  In  nearly  every  case,  of  course  the 
mothers  were  only  too  willing  to  look  after 
these  additional  little  charges. 

One    of    the   waifs    who   became   a    great 
friend  of  mine  was  Jean.     Little   Jean  had 
known  no   parents.     He   was   an  illegitimate 
child,  who  on  the  day  of  his  birth  had  been 
left  with  a  Belgian  institution  for  abandoned 
children.      Several    years    later    his    mother 
went  to  America  and  married.     No  children 
were  sent  to  bless  this  union,  and  the  moth- 
er's thoughts  were  constantly  turning  to  the 
little   lad   in   her   far   away   native    country. 
She  told  me  that  sometimes  the  pangs  of  re- 
morse  seemed  more   than  she   could   endure; 
her  heart  cried  out  for  her  little  son's  love, 
and  she  yearned  to  feel  his  arms  around  her 


78  back:  from  BELGIUM 

neck,  his  lips  pressed  close  to  hers.  Sh« 
appealed  to  me,  implored  me,  to  bring  him 
back  to  America  on  my  next  trip,  but  this 
I  refused  to  do  until  she  had  obtained  her 
husband's   consent. 

She  shrank  from  doing  this,  but  I  told 
her  that  her  request  could  not  be  entertained 
until  such  a  step  was  taken.  No  one  will 
ever  know  the  anguish  and  misgivings  that 
tortured  her  mind  before  she  could  bring 
herself  to  broach  the  subject  to  her  husband, 
but  the  good  man,  much  to  her  relief,  ac- 
quiesoed  readily  in  her  plans.  Thus  I  came 
to  be  entrusted  with  the  task  of  locating  little 
Jean  and  restoring  him  to  his  mother. 

,1  found  him  in  the  Home  where  she  had 
left  him,  a  miserable  little  specimen  of  hu- 
manity, his  eyes  dull  with  sadness,  his  little 
frame  emaciated  from  privation,  his  lip;^ 
strangers  to  kisses  and  smiles.  The  head  of 
the  institution  was  willing  to  have  me  take 
him,  but  no  amount  of  arguing  or  persuasion 
would  move  the  Pass  Bureau  to  issue  a  pass- 
port for  him.  Being  an  illegitimate  child  he 
had  no  Identification  Card  and  that  barred 
him  from  consideration. 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  79 

**But,  Mr.  Officer,'^  I  pleaded.  "he 
came  into  the  world  without  one.  He  was 
abandoned  when  an  infant,  and  the  institu- 
tion where  he  has  lived  has  only  the  vaguest 
knowledge  of  the  identity  of  his  parents. 
His  mother  has  only  recently  revealed  her- 
self." 

''  No  passport  can  be  given  without  the 
Identification  Card,"  was  the  reply.  **  It 
is  the  rule." 

I  went  to  the  head  officer  of  the  Pass  Bur- 
eau, and  from  him  I  received  the  same  ulti- 
matum. Then  I  went  still  higher,  to  one  of 
the  attaches  of  the  Governor-GeneraPs  of- 
fice, taking  Jean  along  with  me  as  mute  wit- 
ness to  his  own  inoffensiveness.  I  begged 
and  implored  for  a  deviation  from  the  es- 
tablished rule. 

"  Look  at  the  lad,"  I  beseeched,  as  Jean 
stood  by,  the  picture  of  utter  dejection  in 
his  ill-fitting  clothes.  "  Please  make  an  ex- 
ception in  his  case." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  the  woman  who 
has  sent  for  him  is  his  mother?  "  I  wa» 
asked. 


80  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

**  Who  but  his  mother  would  claim  him  I  " 
I  replied. 

A  faint  smile  stole  about  the  attaches 
mouth,  and  I  knew  that  I  had  won  the  day. 

So  little  Jean  came  back  with  me.  His 
eyes  seemed  to  brighten  almost  from  the 
moment  our  journey  began.  He  was  a  very 
shy  child  and,  although  he  seemed  to  know 
instinctively  that  I  was  helping  him  in  some 
way,  he  never  uttered  a  word.  During  the 
first  few  days  of  the  journey  he  kept  very 
much  to  himself,  and  when  I  would  speak  to 
him  he  would  move  away  in  silence.  As 
the  voyage  progressed,  some  of  his  reti- 
cence dissappeared  and  occasionly  he  would 
permit  me  to  caress  him.  Sometimes  he 
would  draw  away  when  I  touched  him,  like 
a  frightened  dumb  animal,  but  a  little  later, 
when  he  thought  that  I  was  not  observing 
him,  he  would  slowly  make  his  way  to  my 
side  and  look  up  at  me  timidly,  wistfully, 
his  sad  eyes  begging  me  to  caress  him  again. 

Of  all  the  little  charges  I  brought  to  Am- 
erica on  my  various  trips,  there  was  none 
I  was  quite  so  loath  to  part  from  as  little 
Jean.    But  when  that  voyage  ended  I  turned 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  81 

him  over  to  his  mother  to  be  born  again  I 
hoped,  into  a  world  where  little  children 
could  find  happiness  as  well  as  sorrow. 

In  the  gallery  of  my  memory  are  many 
other  pictures,  tender  or  pathetic,  but  there 
are  also  a  few  amusing  ones.  A  constant 
source  of  amusement  on  my  various  trips  to 
Belgium  was  the  persistence  with  which  I 
was  tracked  by  patriotic  enthusiasts  and  by 
spies.  I  was  kept  busy  dodging  them  on  the 
steamer,  in  railway  carriages,  in  hotels  and 
even  on  the  streets.  After  a  brief  greeting 
they  would  launch  forth  into  their  one  sub- 
ject, the  war.  Some,  of  course,  were  pro- 
Ally,  others  violently  pro-German,  and  many 
were  undoubtedly  **  agents  provocateurs" 
whose  business  it  was  to  take  up  cudgels  for 
the  cause  to  which  they  were  opposed  in  or- 
der to  discover  the  trend  of  their  compan- 
ion's sympathy.  If  I  listened  to  their  ar- 
guments without  comment  and  with  no  sign 
of  approval  or  disapproval  I  could  be  sure 
they  would  end  by  bluntly  asking:  "  And 
where  do  you  stand!  '* 

Desiring  to  steer  my  ship  cautiously,  I 
usually  answered  that  I  didn't  feel  like  com- 


82  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

mitting  myself  to  either  side,  that  I  knew 
nothing  about  international  politics,  that  I 
felt  sorry  for  all  of  the  people  involved  in 
the  terrible  conflict  and  that,  as  an  Ameri- 
can, I  wished  to  remain  neutral.  My  com- 
panions would  immediately  flare  up  and  de- 
clare that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  ab- 
solute neutrality,  taxing  me  with  being  an 
enemy  of  their  faction  because  I  did  not 
openly  and  loudly  agree  with  theuL 

Holland,  most  specially  The  Hague,  was 
a  hotbed  of  spies,  and  every  newcomer  was 
approached,  spied  upon,  and  followed  by 
agents  of  all  the  governments  at  war.  Se- 
cret service  men  supplied  their  local  em- 
bassies with  a  record  of  each  individual's 
movements  and  the  embassies,  in  turn,  trans- 
mitted the  information  to  their  respective 
home  oflBces.  One  could  never  be  sure  that 
hotel  clerks  and  porters  were  not  in  the  pay 
of  the  agents  of  foreign  governments.  I 
know  of  one  enterprising  hotel  clerk  who 
was  taking  money  from  representatives  of 
two  opposing  nations  at  the  same  time.  The 
trunks  in  one's  room,  even  though  locked, 
were  not   safe   from    secret   investigation   as 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  83 

I  discovered  in  my  own  cas^  on  more  than 
one  occasion. 

One  could  not  be  sure  that  one's  name  was 
not   on  the  black  list  of   several  contending 
governments.     For  instance,  while  I  was  at 
The  Hague,  I  had  legitimate  business  with, 
and   consequently   visited,   the   German,   Bel- 
gian and  British  embassies.    I  am  sure  that 
my  visits  were  promptly  reported  to  the  au- 
thorities  of   those   three   countries.     Though 
I  exercised  the  utmost  prudence,  never  dig- 
cussing  the  war  with  anyone   save  my  most 
intimate    friends,   and   even   then   guardedly, 
I  was  held  up  by  the  British  authorities  at 
Falmouth  when  I  crossed  the  last  time,  and 
my   effects   were   submitted    to    the    closest 
scrutiny.     Someone  in  the  United   States,  I 
afterwards   learned,   had   cabled   the   British 
Foreign  Office  to  look  out  for  me  as  I  was 
suspected  of  being  pro-German,  and  my  name 
liad    been    duly    recorded    upon    the    British 
black  list.     The  same  person,  bent  on  mak- 
ing trouble  for  me  one  way  or  another,  had 
informed    the    German    government    that    I 
was    pro-Ally. 
On  one  occasion  when  I  crossed  the  Bel- 


84  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

gian  border  into  Holland,  I  learned  that 
the  Belgian  Government  had  issued  orders 
to  its  embassy  at  The  Hague  to  warn  all 
Belgians  against  me  as  I  was  engaged  in 
unpatriotic  work,  taking  Belgians  to  Am- 
erica and  abandonng  them  to  their  own  de- 
vices. Of  course  I  knew  that  the  accusation 
was  absurd,  but,  nevertheless,  I  had  to  prove 
my  sincerety  to  the  proper  authorities.  I 
submitted  my  credentials  and  a  complete  re- 
port of  my  work  to  the  first  secretary  of  the 
Belgian  Embassy,  Prince  de  Ligne,  who 
took  the  trouble  to  immediately  inform  his 
Government  regarding  my  aims  and  accom- 
plishments. 

In  Belgium  the  secret  service  or  spy  sys- 
tem was  fearful  and  wonderful  in  its  organ- 
ization and  wide  ramifications.  The  Ques- 
ture,  that  is,  the  secret  service  council,  was 
the  highest  tribunal  of  both  the  civil  and 
military  authorities.  Even  the  military  au- 
thorities themselves,  both  officers  and  sol- 
diers, were  constantly  watched  and  spied 
upon.  Some  of  the  cleverest  of  the  spies 
were  attractive  demi-mondaines.  They  were 
to   be    frequently   seen   in   the   hotels   dining 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  85 

with  officers  who  often  learned  later,  to  their 
sorrow,  that  they  had  been  lavishing  money 
upon  informers  in  the  pay  of  their  own 
government.  Another  dangerous  spy  for  the 
officer  was  a  radical  socialist.  It  was  a  clever 
idea  that  led  to  this  state  of  affairs.  The 
socialist,  of  course,  hated  all  officers,  and  the 
higher  the  rank  of  his  prey,  or  the  more  illus- 
trious his  family  name,  the  greater  were  the 
spy^s  efforts  to  find  him  guilty  of  treason 
and  denounce  him. 

I  was  summoned  before  the  police  authori- 
ties on  two  occasions.  The  first  time  I  had 
arrived  in  Bruxelles  from  a  trip  to  Flanders 
late  in  the  evening  and  I  was  very  tired.  My 
Flanders  passport  had  expired  that  day  and, 
according  to  the  military  regulations,  I  should 
have  returned  it  to  the  Pass  Bureau  unmedi- 
ately  upon  my  arrival  and  obtained  a  re- 
ceipt for  it.  But  in  a  moment  of  fatigue  I 
decided  that  I  would  postpone  my  call  to 
the  Pass  Bureau  until  morning,  and  went  to 
my  hotel  and  to  bed.  I  was  awakened  from 
my  first  sleep  by  a  secret  service  agent  and 
summoned  to  the  Police  Headquarters  im- 
mediately.    There   the  matter  was   adjusted, 


86  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

but  not  before  I  had  received  a  severe  lecture 
which  made  me  vow  not  to  repeat  that  par- 
ticular offence. 

Another  time  I  was  ordered  to  report  at 
Police  Headquarters  without  delay,  and  when 
I  arrived  there  I  was  submitted  to  a  long  in- 
terrogation. **  Who  are  you?  "  I  was 
asked.  *'  How  long  have  you  been  in  Bel- 
gium? "  How  did  you  get  into  the  coun- 
try? How  many  times  hav6  you  been  here? 
What  are  you  doing  here!  Why  are  you  do- 
ing it?    Whom  do  you  know  here?  " 

After  awhile  I  became  impatient  and  an- 
swered. *'  I  came  here  by  permission  of 
the  German  Government,  which  knows  all 
about  my  work.  I  am  well  known  at  the 
Politische  Abteilung  and  there  you  can  find 
out  all  you  want  to  know." 

I  imagined  this  answer  would  mollify,  if 
not  crush,  my  questioner.  The  shadow  of  a 
smile  crossed  his  features  and  he  said,  with 
unmistakable  firmness: 

**  Never  mind  the  Politische  Abteilung; 
you  are  dealing  with  the  Police  now." 

More  questions  followed.  *'  Do  you  know 
anyone   in   Flanders?     Do   you   attempt   any 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  87 

correspondence    with    them?  " 

And  then  the  reason  for  my  cross-examina- 
tion came  out.  The  news  that  I  was  in  Bel- 
gium, looking  up  families  of  Belgians  in 
America,  had  somehow  spread  throughout 
the  entire  country,  and  many  needy  people, 
having  relatives  in  the  United  States,  had 
tried  to  reach  me  to  give  me  messages  for 
them.  Some  succeeded  and  others  did  not, 
and  it  was  as  a  result  of  one  of  these  foiled 
attempts  that  I  had  been  haled  before  the 
Police.  That  very  day  a  man  from  Roulers 
had  been  caught  with  a  letter  on  his  person 
addressed  to  me  in  which  he  asked  me  to 
locate  his  people  in  Oregon  and  tell  them 
his  family  was  in  great  distress.  When  I 
convinced  the  Police  authorities  that  I  knew 
nothing  about  the  man, — and  that  was  no 
easy  task — I  was  dismissed,  but  not  before 
I  had  signed  a  lengthy  document  in  which 
my  entire   examination   had  been  recorded. 

On  another  occasion  I  was  summoned  to 
the  Censor's  office.  I  had  written  a  letter 
in  French  to  a  lady  living  in  Charleroi,  ask- 
ing her  to  be  in  Bruxelles  at  the  Pass  Bnr- 
eau  at  a  certain  hour.     In  my  haste  I  had 


88  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

used  the  past  tense  instead  of  the  future,  and 
this  gave  umbrage  to  the  Censor  who  thought 
that  it  might  be  a  pre-arranged  secret  code. 
I  explained  the  mistake  but  I  was  not  re- 
leased until  I  had  signed  a  statement  to  the 
effect  that  my  error  was  due  to  my  imper- 
fect knowledge  of  French. 

Thus  the  machinery  of  German  efficiency 
operated  unceasingly,  yet  I  managed  to 
smuggle  thousands  of  letters  and  many  vol- 
umes of  clandestine  literature  across  the 
Dutch  frontier.  How  I  accomplished  this 
I  cannot  divulge,  but  considering  the  eternal 
vigilance  of  the  military  authorities  and  spies 
it  will  be  evident  to  the  reader  that  I  trusted 
in  the  passive  cooperation  of  someone  con- 
nected with  the  German  Government.  The 
individual  to  whom'  I  owe  my  liberty,  if  not 
my  life,  was  not  cognizant  of  the  extent  of 
what  I  was  doing;  he  may  have  suspected 
my  guilt,  but  I  am  convinced  that  he  did  not 
realize  the  measure  of  it.  To  his  honor  let 
it  be  said  that  he  was  lenient  solely  because 
he  sympathized  with  the  purpose  of  my  un- 
dertaking. He  loved  children,  and  I  think 
he  helped  me  because  he  realized  that  I  was 


FUETHER  MISSIONS  89 

restoring  many  little  Belgians  to  their  par- 
ents. He  looked  upon  me  as  the  godfather 
of  the  little  citizens  of  unhappy  Belgium  and 
believed  that  whatever  I  was  doing  was  be- 
ing done  primarily  for  them.  To  say  more 
than  this  might  incriminate  him  and  bring 
unnecessary  sorrow  to  his  family. 

No  one  else  connived  with  me,  no  one  else 
connected  with  the  Government  of  occupation 
knew  or  suspected  what  I  was  doing,  not  even 
my  interpreter,  Mr.  Bayer,  a  fine,  sympathetic 
old  German,  whose  wife  was  a  Belgian  and 
whose  children  were  naturalized  citizens  of 
their  mother's  country.  Mr.  Bayer  had  been 
an  officer  in  the  German  army  and  had  fought 
in  the  war  of  '66,  remaining  a  German  in 
Allegiance  even  after  settling  in  Belgium.  He 
was  tall,  distinguished  in  appearance  and  very 
alert  in  spite  of  his  seventy  odd  years.  Al- 
though he  did  not  realize  it  himself,  his  mere 
appearance  helped  me  out  of  many  uncomfort- 
able situations.  I  am  convinced  that  many  of 
the  lesser  military  authorities  thought,  after 
examining  his  passport,  which  revealed  him 
as  an  ex-officer,  that  he  was  a  companion  offi- 
cially detailed  to  accompany  me  on  my  travels. 


90  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

He  did  not  realize  this,  but  I  did,  and  made  the 
most  of  it. 

I  must  state,  however,  that  I  never  jeopar- 
dized my  interpreter's  liberty  by  carrying 
political  messages;  I  never  once  al- 
lowed myself  to  become  a  subservient  tool  for 
political  activities.  I  merely  wished  to  do  what 
I  could  to  alleviate  the  suffering  of  the  Bel- 
gian people, — nothing  more — and  so  whenever 
a  letter  was  given  to  me  to  smuggle  out  of  the 
country  or  into  another  commune,  I  would 
read  it  carefully,  and  if  its  contents  were  ob- 
scure or  savored  of  a  code  system  I  invariably 
asked  the  writer  to  take  it  back  and  give  me 
another  letter  instead.  /  never  allowed  these 
letters  to  he  addressed  or  signed,  depending 
on  a  code  I  had  invented  so  that  if  they  were 
discovered  in  my  possession  I  would  be  the 
only  sufferer. 

Once,  when  going  from  Ghent  to  Bruxelies 
alone,  I  carried  more  than  four  hundred  clan- 
destine letters.  The  train  on  which  I  was 
traveling  was  packed  with  soldiers;  I  was  the 
only  civilian  among  its  passengers.  Almost 
immediately  after  it  started  an  officer  came 
through   the   cars,   inspecting   passports   and 


FUETHER  MISSIONS  91 

baggage.  Besides  my  valise  I  had  five  small 
bundles  wrapped  in  paper  which  I  had  tucked 
away  in  the  rack  above  my  seat.  Four  of  the 
packages  contained  small  antiques  which  I  had 
purchased  in  Ghent,  and  the  fifth  contained  the 
letters.  Some  of  these  letters  were  from  Bel- 
gians whom  the  war  had  reduced  to  beggary, 
people  who  were  asking  assistance  of  friends 
or  relatives  in  America.  Others  were  for  Bel- 
gians who  lived  in  the  Provinces  of  the  Gov- 
ernor-General. For  even  one  of  these  inno- 
cent missives  to  have  been  discovered  among 
my  effects  would  have  meant  a  military  trial, 
and,  undoubtedly  imprisonment;  perhaps  even 
the  death  penalty. 

When  the  officer  arrived  at  my  seat  I  made 
a  great  fuss  over  the  obstinacy  of  the  lock  on 
my  valise.  I  fumed  and  fretted  at  its  failure 
to  promptly  respond  to  the  key  treatment. 
Finally  I  managed  to  get  it  open,  only  to  re- 
veal that  its  contents  consisted  of  a  few  ar- 
ticles of  clothing.  Once  these  were  inspected 
and  replaced,  I  locked  the  valise,  placed  it 
undei  the  seat  and  started  to  settle  down  as 
though  I  felt  relieved  that  the  annoying  in- 
spection had  been  completed. 


92  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

"  Come,  come,"  said  the  officer,  pointing 
to  my  packages  in  the  rack  above,  **  what 
about  those!    " 

**  I  have  some  antiques,**  I  answered,  lab- 
oriously rising  and  reaching  for  one  of  the 
bundles. 

One  by  one  I  took  them  down,  opening  each 
package,  exhibiting  the  contents  and  extolling 
upon  their  beauty  at  great  length.  I  was 
hoping  that  a  view  of  the  contents  of  one  or 
two  of  the  bundles  would  appease  the  curios- 
ity of  the  officer,  and  so  I  carefully  left  the 
package  of  the  letters  for  the  last.  I  had 
©uccessfully  followed  this  procedure  on  pre- 
vious trips,  but  this  officer  was  the  personifi- 
cation of  efficiency  and  insisted  upon  seeing 
all  of  my  baggage. 

With  the  opening  of  the  fourth  package  my 
heart  began  to  beat  a  lively  tattoo  against  my 
waistcoat,  though  I  strove  to  remain  outward- 
ly calm.  Finally  I  climbed  upon  the  seat  and 
Reached  for  the  fifth  package,  but  luck  was 
with  me  and  just  at  that  moment  the  train 
pulled  into  a  station  and  the  officer  was  obliged 
to  leave. 


FURTHER  MISSIONS  93 

**  It  is  all  right,"  he  said  brusquely  as  he 
turned  away,  leaving  me  to  settle  down  to  a 
prayer  of  gratitude  for  my  narrow  escape. 
It  was  the  nearest  I  ever  came  to  being  caught. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Where   The  Huns  Have   Passed. 

In  the  course  of  my  search  for  the  people 
whom  I  was  to  bring  to  America  I  visited 
many  cities  whose  gaping  wounds  were  mute 
testimonials  of  their  martyrdom,  while  under 
the  debris  lay  the  bodies  of  thousands  of  in- 
nocent victims,  men,  women  and  children 
slain  wantonly. 

From  what  I  was  able  to  learn — and  I  fre- 
qnently  conversed  with  Belgian  civilians  and 
German  officers  or  soldiers — I  am  convinced 
that  the  German  military  authorities  decided 
to  establish  a  system  of  terrorism  before  they 
even  entered  the  country.  They  must  have  de- 
cided it  as  soon  as  they  learnt  that  free  pas- 
sage would  be  denied  to  their  troops.  The 
few  feeble  efforts  at  resistance  made  by  civil- 
ian Belgians  would  be  a  ridiculous  explanation 
for  the  destruction  that  followed  in  the  wake 

94 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED   95 

of  the  invading  army.  Belgium  was  burned 
down  and  wrecked  for  the  example  it  would 
give  the  world  of  the  punishment  meted  out 
to  whoever  resisted  the  Kaiser's  hosts. 

Advance  patrols  of  Uhlans  were  shot  at  in 
many  cases  by  detachments  of  the  regular 
Belgian  army  sent  forward  to  await  the  enemy 
in  concealment,  and  because  the  shooting 
soldiers  were  concealed,  word  was  passed 
through  the  German  ranks  that  Belgian  civ- 
ilians had  fired  on  the  troops.  It  was  a  suf- 
ficient excuse  to  put  the  system  of  terroriam 
into  execution.  Within  a  few  days  after  the 
entry  of  the  Huns  into  Belgium,  German 
newspapers  were  filled  with  details  of  imag- 
inary atrocities  committed  by  Belgian  civil- 
ians, even  by  women,  children  and  priests, 
upon  wounded  German  soldiers.  Many  of 
these  stories  were  undoubtedly  issued  with  the 
official  seal  of  the  German  War  Office  while 
others  were  elaborations  of  letters  sent  by 
German  soldiers  to  their  relatives  at  home.  In 
view  of  the  drunkenness  and  debauchery  p^a(^- 
tised  by  some  of  the  invaders  it  is  natural  that 
they  should  send  home  such  imaginary  ac- 
counts   which    infuriated    German    civilians. 


96  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

Among  the  effects  found  on  a  wounded 
soldier  was  a  letter  from  his  father  in  Ger- 
many who  wrote:  "Do  not  let  any  civilians 
come  near  you.  Fire  upon  any  who  approach 
you.*' 

Eyewitnesses  told  me  that  on  various  oc- 
casions in  the  confusion  caused  hy  drunken 
revelries  or  by  mere  accident,  German  troops 
fired  upon  their  own  comrades  as  they  came 
toward  each  other  from  different  directions. 
In  every  case  Belgian  civilians  were  blamed, 
upon  the  assumption  that  they  were  franc- 
tireurs.  Then,  without  even  a  pretence  of 
investigation,  they  were  mercilessly  massacred 
and    their   town    pillaged   and   burned. 

One  of  the  most  common  accusations  by 
the  Germans  was  that  of  "  gouging  out  eyes  ** 
by  priests.  It  may  have  originated  in  the  dis- 
ordered brain  of  the  Hun,  but  it  seems  to  mo 
that  its  origin  can  be  traced  to  the  fact  that 
Belgian  priests  could  be  seen  everywhere, 
kneeling  beside  wounded  German  soldiers 
just  as  they  knelt  beside  their  own  fallen 
countrymen,  administering  Extreme  Unction, 
part  of  which  is  to  touch  the  eyes  with  the 
Holy  Oil  for  the  Infirm. 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  PIAVE  PASSED   97 

One  day  I  was  discussing  the  accusations 
against  the  clergy  with  a  prominent  anti- 
clerical lawyer  of  Bruxelles,  a  man  whose 
professional  activities  before  the  war  had 
shown  him  to  be  far  from  partial  to  the  cler- 
ical fraternity. 

**  Tell  me  something/'  I  said,  **  about  the 
participation  of  priests  in  the  reported  snip- 
ing on  the  German  troops — especially  from 
the  heights  of  church  towers." 

**  That  is  one  of  the  favorite  lies  of  thost 
damned  Prussians,"  he  answered  with  ve- 
hemence. "  I  was  everywhere  during  those 
first  trying  days  and  I  have  talked  with  every- 
one worth  talking  to,  and  from  what  I  saw 
and  from  what  I  heard  I  know  there  is  not 
a  shred  of  truth  in  all  of  their  assertions. 

**  The  populace  was  terror-stricken  as  soon 
as  they  heard  the  Germans  were  coming,  even 
before  the  first  troops  put  in  an  appearance. 
As  for  the  priests,  I  do  not  need  to  tell  yon 
how  meek  and  timid  they  are.  The  discipline 
of  religious  colleges  and  seminaries,  the  can- 
nons which  rule  their  daily  lives,  the  constant 
wearing  of  the  cassock,  all  these  things  com- 
bine to  make  the  priest  anything  but  a  belli- 


98  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

cose  man.  Why,  in  some  instances  they  were 
even  pro-German,  such  as  the  Cure  of  Battice, 
who,  by  the  irony  of  fate,  was  the  first  victim 
of  the  invasion. 

"  But  what  was  the  attitude  of  the  Belgian 
government  toward  the  supposed  uprisings  of 
civilians."  I  asked.  *'  Entre  nous,  would 
it  not  have  been  natural  for  the  government 
to    foment    resistance?  " 

**  It  would  not  only  have  been  an  inconsid- 
erate act,"  came  the  emphatic  answer,  **  but 
a  positively  criminal  one  on  the  part  of  our 
authorities,  had  they  tried  to  do  so.  It  would 
have  been  supreme  folly  for  the  civilian  pop- 
ulation to  oppose  any  resistance.  Remember, 
they  possessed  practically  no  arms.  Our 
people  are  not  fools;  they  were  conscious  of 
their  feebleness  and  knew  very  well  that  the 
German  armies  were  formidable." 

To  verify  his  statements  my  informant  led 
me  into  his  library,  and  from  a  desk  took  out 
a  bundle  of  papers  which  he  placed  before 
me.  They  were  circulars  issued  by  Govern- 
ment authorities  and  the  mayors  of  the  differ- 
ent towns,  urging  civilians  to  bring  such 
weapons  as  they  had  to  the  Hotel   de   Villa 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED   99 

and  remain  quiet.  Some  of  these  circulars 
are  reproduced  in  these  pages.  Their  mes- 
sages conform  to  the  following  translations: 

To  The  Civilians. 

The  Minister  of  the  Interior  urges  the  fol- 
lowing line  of  conduct  on  all  civilians,  in 
case  the  enemy  appears  in  their  region: 

1.  Not  to  fight. 

2.  Not  to  utter  threats  or  insults. 

3.  To  remain  indoors,  and  to  close  win- 
dows so  as  not  to  give  the  enemy  the 
pretext  to  say  that  there  has  been  any 
provocation. 

4.  If  our  soldiers  occupy  a  house  or  an 
isolated  hamlet  in  order  to  defend 
themselves,  it  should  be  evacuated  at 
once  so  that  the  enemy  may  not  say 
that  civilians  have  fired. 

5.  Any  act  of  violence   committed  by   a 
citizen  is  a  crime  which  the  law  pun- 
ishes  because    it   might    serve    as   the 
pretext    for    a    bloody    repression,    or 
for    pillage    and    the    massacre    of    an 


100  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

innocent   population,   the   massacre   of 
women  and  children. 

M.   Berkyee, 

Minister   of   the   Interior. 

Bruxelles,  August  4,  1914. 

This  notice  was  printed  daily,  in  large 
characters  and  in  a  conspicuous  place,  in 
every  newspaper  in  Belgium. 


Fire-arms. 

The  international  law  of  war  does  not 
permit  civilians  to  take  part  in  hostili- 
ties, and  all  infractions  of  this  rule  may 
bring  about  serious  reprisals.  Many  of 
our  fellow-citizens  have  commendably  ex- 
pressed the  desire  to  voluntarily  give  up 
whatever  weapons  they  possess.  Such 
may  be  brought  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Police  where  a  receipt  will  be  duly  given 
for  each  piece.  The  arms  will  be  placed 
in  the  central  Arsenal  at  Antwerp  and 
given  back  at  the  end  of  the  war. 

Adolphe  Max, 
Burgomaster. 

Bruxelles,    Aug.    12,    1914. 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED    101 

Similar  warnings  were  issued  by  the  mayor 
of  every  important  city  and  town  through- 
out Belgium. 


Methodical  pillage,  incediarism  and  the 
slaying  of  civilians  constituted  the  order  of 
the  day  in  those  localities  where  the  German 
armies  met  with  resistance  on  the  part  of  Bel- 
gian or  French  troops,  and  sometimes  in  towns 
where  there  was  no  opposition  to  their  ad- 
vance. 

The  excuse  for  this  was  always  the  same. 
A  shot  is  lieard,  and  immediately,  without  any 
investigation,  the  orgy  of  blood  begins.  **  Die 
Zivilisten  haben  geschossen,"  the  civilians 
have  fired!  Who  fired  that  shot?  A  timid 
sentinel,  a  drunken  soldier,  or  was  it  done 
purposely  by  someone  in  authority,  and  for 
too  obvious  a  purpose?  Little  does  the  an- 
swer matter,  bring  the  benzine  torch  and  fire 
the  houses  while  the  troops  laugh  as  they 
shoot  the  fleeing  inhabitants. 

Let  me  draw  a  picture  of  what  occured  at 
Acoz,    a    picturesque    little    village    of    some 


102  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

1300  inhabitants,  lying  at  the  eastern  extrem- 
ity of  the  province   of  Hainaut. 

It  is  dusk.  The  Germans  are  crossing  the 
Sambre  at  Chatelet.  Earlier  in  the  day — -this 
is  August  22nd,  1914 — the  French  military  au- 
thorities through  the  Burgomaster  and  rural 
guard  request  the  inhabitants  to  evacuate  the 
town  and  save  their  lives.  "Word  has  already 
been  received  that  the  Germans  are  forcing 
civilians  to  march  ahead  of  them  to  cover 
their  advance,  so  the  villagers,  with  less  than 
a  score  of  exceptions,  gather  what  few  be- 
longings they  can  carry  and  flee  the  town. 
Finally  the  invading  troops  arrive,  and  short- 
ly afterward  smoke  and  flames  make  a  lurid 
picture  of  the  erstwhile  peaceful  landscape. 
The  Convent  of  the  French  Sisters,  the  Post 
Office,  the  Town  Hall,  the  Municipal  School 
and  other  public  buildings  are  the  first  tar- 
gets for  the  toreh.  In  vain  the  Burgomaster 
protests. 

*'  The  inhabitants  have  fired  upon  us  from 
almost  every  house,"  says  an  officer  of  the 
Tenth  German  Army  Corps." 

''  But  the  inhabitants  had  fled  before  you 
arrived,"  pleads  the  Burgomaster. 


WHilRE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED     103 

"  Man  hat  gechossen, ' '  is  the  uncompromis- 
ing reply,  and  the  torch  continues  its  fright- 
ful work. 

In  the  granary  attached  to  the  parsonage 
are  found  the  Cure,  L'Abbe  Druet,  a  sep- 
tuagenarian clergyman,  and  two  civilians,  M. 
Archange  and  Joseph  Bourbou.  They  are 
trembling  with  fear.  When  the  Germans 
question  them  they  can  only  answer  with  ges- 
tures because  they  do  not  understand  the 
tongue  of  the  invader  and  the  Germans  know 
no  French.  So  they  are  condemned  to  be 
shot.  In  vain  do  they  beg  for  mercy,  pro- 
testing their  innocence;  in  vain  does  the  aged 
priest  show  the  ribbon  of  the  Red  Cross  en- 
circling his  arm.  No  mercy  is  shown;  they 
are  the  chosen  victims  and  they  must  die.  So 
the  trio  is  blindfolded  and  shot  while  the 
crackling  of  the  devouring  fire  and  the  fall- 
ing of  charred  timbers  sound  their  death 
dirge. 

♦  Another  locality  I  visited  was  Battice. 
Here  lived  on  August  4th,  1914,  a  little  over 
three  thousand  souls.  On  that  day  the  first 
German  soldiers  are  arriving,  and  some  of 
the  Belgian  Lancers  who  had  left  the  village  in 


lOi  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

the  morning  are  now  returning,  their  horses 
galloping  furiously.  Shots  rain  on  them  from 
all  sides,  and  several  saddles  are  emptied. 
The  parish  priest,  Abbe  Voisin,  moves  from 
one  wounded  man  to  another,  offering  the  last 
comforts  of  religion.  The  people  have  fled  to 
a  neighboring,  hamlet,  and  the  invaders  pene- 
trate the  houses,  breaking  doors  and  windows 
in  their  haste  to  procure  food  and  drink.  With 
no  apparent  reason  some  soldiers  amuse 
themselves  by  breaking  up  the  furniture 
while  others  are  content  to  fall  asleep  as  soon 
as  they  have  drunk  their  fill. 

For  awhile  life  seems  safe  enough,  and  tlie 
population  begins  to  return,  when  in  the  after- 
noon three  men  are  arrested  and  without  pre- 
tence of  trial  shot  on  the  sidewalk  in  front 
of  the  Christiane  residence.  *'  I  am  sure  they 
were  innocent  "  said  Father  Voisin,  who  had 
himself  been  arrested  and  compelled  to  wit- 
ness the  execution.  ''  They  were  timid  peas- 
ants, and  were  arrested  while  conversing  in 
the  middle  of  the  street.  To  the  best  of  my 
knowledge  not  a  single  German  soldier  was 
killed  or  wounded  in  Battice." 

Father   Voisin   spent   the   greater   part   of 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED     105 

the  night  standing  up  against  a  wall,  his 
hands  tied,  guarded  by  sentries  who  con- 
tinually threatened  him  with  their  bayonets. 
His  ecclesiastical  garb  seemed  to  excite  their 
anger,  for  they  neglected  his  two  companions. 
Municipal  Councilors  Browers  and  Iserentant. 
Meanwhile,  the  nearby  forts  of  Liege  were 
spitting  fire  at  the  German  troops  whose  re- 
sentment could  only  be  vented  on  the  innocent 
civilians. 

**At  two  o^clock  in  the  morning,"  says 
Father  Voisin,  "  we  were  started  towards 
Liege  under  escort  of  soldiers  who  repeatedly 
struck  us  with  their  rifles  or  kicked  us  while 
we  staggered  with  our  arms  still  tightly  bound. 
At  Herv6,  however,  an  officer  gave  the  order 
to  set  us  free  as  no  time  could  be  wasted  on 
us,  and  shortly  after  a  lively  engagement  had 
started  between  our  captors  and  some  Bel- 
gian troops.  We  returned  to  Battice  and 
found  that  some  inhabitants  were  still  there." 

Wednesday  passed  quietly,  but  Thursday 
saw  numerous  German  soldiers  pour  into  the 
town.  They  seemed  exhausted,  and  refresh- 
ment was  provided  for  them.  Suddenly  a 
sharp  report  was  heard,  followed  by  a  num- 


106  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

ber  of  others  in  rapid  succession.  Everywhere 
soldiers  began  to  shoot  rapidly  through  doors 
and  windows.  Men  and  women  were  killed  as 
they  talked  or  worked.  Jacques  Halleux  died 
as  he  tried  to  cover  his  fiancee  by  whose  side 
he  sat.  Six  farmers  on  the  road  to  La  Min- 
erie  were  shot  within  sight  of  their  homes,  and 
a  little  further  three  bewildered  laborers  were 
executed  for  no  earthly  reason.  In  a  cellar 
they  found  the  unfortunate  Iserentant  who  had 
been  a  fellow  prisoner  of  Father  Voisin  two 
days  before.  With  him  were  his  infirm  brother 
in-law,  Mr.  Garcon,  a  young  servant  girl  and 
a  Mr.  Hendrick.  They  were  terrified  and 
begged  for  mercy,  but  all  were  slain.  In  the 
next  farm  house  were  two  young  girls  who 
were  shot  as  they  fled. 

Emile  Liegeois,  with  his  two  sisters,  a 
brother-in-law  and  the  latter 's  two  children 
had  sought  refuge  in  the  cellar  of  their  homes. 
At  dusk  he  came  up  to  look  around  and  see 
if  it  was  safe  to  flee,  but  as  soon  as  he  ap- 
peared on  the  threshold  he  was  shot  down 
and  died  without  having  time  to  utter  even 
a  word.  His  sister  Mary  was  close  upon  his 
heels,  and  was  struck  on  the  forehead  by  two 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED     107 

spent  bullets.  She  fell  on  the  spot  and,  hearing 
some  one  approach,  feigned  death.  Several 
soldiers  surrounded  her  and  one  of  them 
stooped  to  examine  her  bod5^  He  did  so 
very  hastily  and  rising  said,  **  she's  dead  tool" 
Later  that  night,  however,  her  brother-in-law 
carried  her  on  a  wheel-barrow  to  the  convent 
of  the  Sisters  of  Providence  at  Herve,  and  she 
is  now  quite  recovered. 

While  these  murders,  and  many  others,  were 
going  on,  the  village  was  looted  and  then  set 
on  fire.  Two  days  later  it  was  still  burning, 
all  but  a  few  houses  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  station  which  had  been  spared  because 
they  were  needed  for  the  soldiers  who  guarded 
the  railway. 

Tamines  was  still  another  happy  little  com- 
munity of  about  six  hundred  inhabitants.  Of 
its  wanton  destruction  for  some  imaginary 
crime  the  Kolnische  Zeitung  of  September 
10th,  1914  wrote:  "Not  being  able  to  appre- 
hend those  who  had  fired,  the  rage  of  our 
troops  turned  against  the  city.  Without 
mercy  it  was  set  on  fire  and  turned  into  ruins." 

One  needs  to  know  but  part  of  the  story  of 
Tamines    to    appreciate    the    truth    of    those 


108  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

words  **  without  mercy.'*  A  small  detach- 
ment of  Belgian  troops  had  offered  heroic 
though  futile  resistance  to  the  invasion  of 
the  town,  and  as  a  result  the  Germans  inaug- 
urated a  massacre  of  the  civilians.  On  Sat- 
urday, August  22nd,  at  seven  in  the  morning, 
several  hundred  male  citizens  were  assembled 
in  the  Place  St.  Martin,  along  which  flows 
the  Samhre.  These  civilians  were  lined  up 
as  human  targets  for  the  rifles  of  German 
soldiers. 

The  order  to  fire  is  given.  All  of  the  vic- 
tims fall  to  the  ground,  some  killed,  some 
wounded,  others  feigning  death  or  helpless 
from  fright.  Those  who  have  escaped  death 
are  ordered  to  stand  up  again.  They  are  fired 
upon  a  second  time,  and  then  some  of  those 
who  have  escaped  injury  fling  themselves  into 
the  Sambre  and  try  to  swim  to  safety.  The 
German  soldiers  rush  to  the  bank  of  the  river 
and  attempt  to  pick  them  off  with  their  rifles, 
and  as  a  result  but  few  escaped.  A  little 
while  later  a  detachment  of  German  soldiers 
make  a  tour  of  inspection  among  the  fallen 
dead  and  wounded,  despatching  with  bullets 
and  bayonets  those  who  are  still  alive.    Tam- 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED    109 

ines'  death  toll  numbered  upwards  of  five 
hundred  civilians;  nearly  two  hundred  houses 
were  completely  destroyed  by  fire  and  five 
hundred  more  were  sacked  and  pillaged. 

The  same  story,  with  variations  of  cruelty, 
is  told  in  the  martyrdom  of  Andenne.  Lying 
between  Namur  and  Huy,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Meuse,  Andenne  was  a  town  of  7,800  souls. 
A  bridge  connected  it  with  the  village  of 
Teilles  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river. 

When  a  detachment  of  Uhlans  arrived  on 
the  morning  of  August  1st  they  discovered  that 
the  retreating  Belgian  troops  had  destroyed 
the  bridge,  and  they  were  furious.  They  offer- 
ed all  sorts  of  insults  to  the  civilians  of  An- 
denne, and  especialy  to  Dr.  Camus,  the  Burg- 
omaster, who  had  taken  extraordinary  pre- 
cfiutions  to  prevent  the  civilians  from  interfer- 
ing with  the  enemy's  advance.  At  the  Burgo- 
master's request  all  weapons  had  been  de- 
posited in  the  Hotel  de  Ville. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  largo 
bodies  of  German  troops  arrived  and  began  to 
crowd  the  town's  cafes,  drinking  freely  and 
becoming  more  offensive  as  their  intoxication 
developed.     There  was  no  serious   outbreak, 


110  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

however,  until  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  when 
a  shot  was  heard.  No  one  knew  who  had  fired 
it,  but  immediately  the  cry  was  raised:  "  Man 
hat  geschossen!  " 

Andenne  witnessed  the  same  mode  of  pil- 
lage, incendiarism  and  massacre  that  had  be- 
fallen so  many  other  towns,  a  procedure  which 
proves  nothing  if  it  does  not  prove  a  premedi- 
tated plan  of  intimidation.  Houses  were  en- 
tered into  and  pillaged.  Fire  was  started  in 
various  sections  of  the  town,  and  citizens  were 
executed  without  even  the  mockery  of  a  mili- 
tary trial. 

On  Friday,  August  21st,  all  of  Andenne 's 
citizens  were  driven  out  of  their  homes  and 
into  the  streets  where  they  were  forced  to  line 
up,  their  hands  held  high  above  their  heads. 
Those  who  hesitated  in  obeying  orders  were 
knocked  down  with  bayonets  and  butts  of 
rifles.  Those  who  tried  to  escape  were  shot. 
Dr.  Camus,  the  Burgomaster,  was  shot  down 
without  the  slighest  provocation.  One  man, 
a  watchmaker,  emerged  from  his  dwelling 
carrying  his  father-in-laW,  an  old  man  of 
eighty  years.  He  was  ordered  to  hold  up.  his 
hands    but    could    not    obey    because    of    his 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED    111 

human  burden.  An  infuriated  German  sol- 
dier rushed  at  him  and  with  a  blow  from  a 
hatchet  almost  severed  his  head  from  the 
body.    He  fell  dying  upon  his  doorstep. 

The  entire  population,  old,  infirm  and  in- 
fants, as  well  as  the  able-bodied,  were  driven 
to  the  center  of  the  town  and  there  searched, 
but  to  the  eternal  guilt  of  the  Germans  let 
it  be  set  down  that  not  a  single  weapon  was 
found  on  anyone.  Still  barbarism  was  deter- 
mined to  have  its  holiday,  and  so  the  defense- 
less creatures  were  killed  right  and  left,  some 
by  shooting  and  some  with  hatchets.  One 
little  child  was  literally  chopped  out  of  its 
mother's  arms. 

At  noon  all  of  the  surviving  men,  about 
eight  hundred  in  number,  were  taken  as  host- 
ages and  locked  in  three  small  houses,  packed 
in  so  that  there  was  not  room  left  for  even 
one  to  sit  down.  Some  time  later  their  wom- 
en folks  were  allowed  to  bring  them  some  food, 
but  they  were  not  permitted  to  converse  with 
them. 

And  to  the  question:  ''  Why  was  Andenne 
sacrificed?  "  the  only  answer  is  found  in  the 
proclamation    of   General   von   Bulow,    which 


112  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

decorated  the  walls  of  Liege:  "  It  was  with 
my  consent  that  the  entire  city  of  Andenne 
was  burned  and  its  citizens  shot.  I  bring 
these  facts  to  the  attention  of  the  city  of  Liege 
in  order  that  its  inhabitants  may  know  the 
fate  which  threatens  them/'  And  back  of 
this  answer?  The  real  reason  was  the  ter- 
rorizing of  Liege.  Andenne  w.as  to  be  its 
warning,  just  as  Dinant  was  made  to  serve  as 
an  example  to  Namur,  Malines  to  Antwerp, 
Louvain    to    Bruxelles,    Tirmonde    to    Ghent. 

As  for  Aorschot  I  Wlio  can  toll  the  story  of 
Aerschot?  I  heard  the  sickening  tale  from  one 
of  its  women,  a  woman  whom  I  found  weeping 
over  the  grave  of  her  martyred  son  and  hus- 
band, in  a  little  cemetery  just  outside  the 
town. 

^'  On  the  morning  of  August  19th  there  was 
fighting  between  our  soldiers  and  the  Ger- 
mans, but  the  Germans  were  victors  and  took 
the  to^vTi.  Then  their  soldiers  began  to  rush 
through  our  streets.  They  were  arriving  all 
day,  and  at  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening 
there  was  much  firing.  Heavy  wagons  seemed 
to  be  rushing  in  all  directions,  and  we  could 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED     113 

hear  the  sound  of  firing  and  the  crashing  of 
glass. 

**  "We  were  hiding  in  the  kitchen,  my  little 
family  and  I,  when  the  window  panes  were 
shattered  and  the  bullets  whistled  past  us  and 
stuck  in  the  plaster  of  the  walls.  My  husband 
and  son  rushed  out  of  the  house  to  see  whether 
there  was  a  chance  for  us  to  escape.  I  begged 
them  not  to  go  but  they  would  not  listen  to 
me.  After  they  had  gone  I  went  into  the 
cellar.  I  must  have  stayed  there  for  two  hours 
or  more,  and  then  I  could  not  stand  the  an- 
xiety any  longer  and  I  came  upstairs.  I 
looked  through  a  window  and  saw  that  the 
town  was  burning.  In  a  few  minutes  three  Ger- 
man soldiers  rushed  into  the  house  and  or- 
dered me  to  get  out.  One  of  them  carried  a 
torch  and  told  me  to  leave  at  once  or  they 
would  burn  down  my  dwelling. 

*'  When  I  asked  them  what  I  had  done  to 
be  treated  thus  they  told  me  that  their  Colonel 
had  been  killed  and  that  our  town  must  per- 
ish. One  of  the  soldiers  took  me  by  the  arm 
and  pushed  me  toward  the  door.  I  asked  them 
to  allow  me  to  take  a  few  things,  but  they 
told  me  the  only  thing  I  needed  wars  a  shroud. 


114  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

Then  they  shoved  me  into  the  street.  Soldiers 
were  rushing  in  all  directions,  driving  the 
the  men  of  the  to^vn  ahead  of  them. 

"  I  had  not  gone  far  when  I  met  one  of 
our  old  priests.  I  stopped  him  and  asked  him 
whether  he  had  seen  my  Jean  and  my  Pierre. 
For  a  few  minutes  he  did  not  seem  to  recog- 
nize me  and  then,  when  he  realized  who  was 
talking  to  him,  he  took  hold  of  my  hands  and 
told  me  that  I  must  have  courage  and  trust 
in  the  will  of  God. 

'^  What  do  you  mean?  "  I  cried,  '^  Are 
they  dead?  *' 

"  Then  he  told  me  that  he  had  just  left  my 
loved  ones  and  that  I  would  find  them  near 
the  outskirts  of  the  town,  beside  a  burning 
building.  I  flew  to  the  spot  he  had  men- 
tioned; I  don't  know  how  I  got  there  or  why 
I  was  not  shot  on  the  way.  And  my  son, 
my  husband!  .  .  .  How  can  I  tell  you?  .  .  . 
I  found  the  body  of  my  deaT  boy  so  burnt 
that  I  could  hardly  recognize  it.  It  was 
stretched  across  the  center  of  the  road,  half 
buried  in  cinders.  Bodies  of  men  were  lying 
all  around  and  I  began  to  search  for  my  poor 
husband.     After  a  while  I  found  him   .   .   , 


WHERE  THE  HUNS  HAVE  PASSED    115 

dead,  too  .  .  ,  and  I  dragged  him  out  beside 
my  boy.  That  was  the  last  I  remembered  mi- 
til  the  next  morning  when  I  awoke  in  the 
home  of  some  Belgians  in  another  to^vn.  I 
had  fainted  and  was  picked  up  by  some  of  my 
neighbors  who  were  fleeing  from  Aerschot.'* 

So  many  reputable  ^vitnesses  have  told  me 
of  the  intoxicated  condition  of  German  troops 
who  set  out  upon  their  missions  of  murder 
and  incendiarism,  and  so  much  testimony 
under  oath  has  been  gathered  to  this  effect 
that  it  is  evidently  alcoholic  madness  which 
started  most  of  these  crimes. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  evidence  of  this  is  to 
be  found  even  in  the  diaries  taken  from  Ger- 
man soldiers  killed  or  captured  in  the  inva- 
sion. To  quote  only  one,  the  diary  of  Cor- 
poral Kase,  Second  Regiment  of  Uhlans,  7th 
Corps,  14th  Infantry  Division,  contained  the 
following : 

"  August  8,  1914 — Crossed  Belgian  fron- 
tier and  rested  1  kilometre  from  Salem  where 
a  country  seat  was  completely  robbed  of  its 
wine.  " 

**  August  11,  1914 — ^We  lay  in  the  barracks 
and  did  not  know  what  to  do  for  sheer  high 


116  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

spirits  .  .  ."  we  had  a  continuous  supply  of 
wine  and  champagne  ..." 

**  August  26,  1914 —  .  .  ."As  invariably,  the 
surrounding  houses  were  immediately  plun- 
dered. We  drank  eleven  bottles  of  cham- 
pagne, four  bottles  of  wine  and  six  bottles  of 
liqueur.  * ' 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DiNANT. 

In  a  little  inn  not  far  from  Vilvorde  I  sat 
at  the  end  of  a  dull  and  rainy  day  talking  with 
a  chance  companion,;  he  was  a  man  of  about 
forty-five,  quietly  dressed,  but  with  the  white 
hands  of  a  man  unused  to  manual  labor.  He 
informed  me  that  he  was  a  native  of  Dinant. 

"  Have  you  visited  Dinant  since  its  inva- 
sion? "    I  asked. 

''Yes,  on  several  occasions.  When  I  re- 
turned the  first  time,  a  few  weeks  after  the 
massacre,  seven  hundred  bodies  had  already 
been  exhumed  from  the  ruins.  That  was  my 
first  glimpse  of  Dinant — a  cemetery.  Many 
of  the  dead  were  relatives  of  mine,  others  were 
old  friends,  and  you  may  wonder  that  I  re- 
turned to  a  place  so  fraught  with  painful 
memories.  I  could  not  resist  the  long- 
ing to  go  back;  I  was  drawn  to  the  place  by 

117 


118  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

an  irresistible  desire  to  see  it,  bleeding  and 
disfigured  as  it  was,  the  same  desire,  I  pre- 
sume, that  prompts  the  exile  to  return  to  the 
land  where  his  forefathers  bled  and  died.  I 
seemed  to  find  solace  in  prowling  around  in 
the  debris  of  my  home  ...  I  was  like  a 
lost  soul  .  .  .  My  father,  mother,  wife  and 
children — all  gave  their  lives  there;  sacrificed 
on  the  alter  of  barbarity.'* 

**  How  did  it  happen,"  I  asked  after  a  brief 
silence,  **  that  you  escaped  the  fate  suffered 
by  the  other  members  of  your  family?  " 

'*  I  am  trying  to  forget,"  he  said  wearily, 
"  Every  time  I  recall  the  horrible  catastrophe 
that  befell  us,  the  wounds  of  my  soul  are  re- 
opened and  I  live  again  through  the  agony 
of  those  first  days  of  war." 

"Pardon  my  request,"  I  said.  "We  Am- 
ericans find  it  difficult  to  imagine  the  extent 
of  the  atrocities  visited  upon  Belgium.  It  is 
only  when  we  hear  details  from  personal  suf- 
ferers that  we  can  bring  ourselves  to  accept 
the  horrible  truth.  Forget  my  request  if  it 
pains  you  to  relate  your  experience." 

' '  No,  no,  no !  "  my  companion  answered 
quickly.    ' '  I  want  to  tell  you  all.    The  Am«ri- 


DINANT  119 

cans  have  been  so  generous  in  succoring  my 
unhappy  country  that  I  must  not  let  an  oppor- 
tunity pass  to  prove  that  their  generosity 
has  not  been  misdirected*  *  * 

"  Belgian  troops  were  occupying  both  banks 
of  the  Meuse  when  some  German  cavalrymen 
appeared  at  Auseremme,  which,  although 
forming  a  distinct  Commune,  is  practically 
part  of  Dinant.  That  was  on  August  6th. 
One  of  the  Germans  was  wounded  by  the  Bel- 
gian Chasseurs,  and  he  and  one  of  his  com- 
panions, whose  horse  had  been  killed,  were 
taken  prisoners.  Between  that  day  and  Au- 
gust 17th,  1914,  the  Germans  made  several  un- 
successful efforts  to  force  a  passage  of  the 
Meuse. 

*^Here  is  a  picture  of  the  situation  .  .  . 
Cannons  are  roaring  from  both  sides  of  the 
river.  A  number  of  our  buildings  have  beea 
damaged.  The  Germans  are  furious;  they; 
light  like  demons.  Finally  our  brave  allies, 
the  French,  are  obliged  to  abandon  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  and  the  Huns,  in  small  de- 
tachments, commence  to  descend  into  the  citj^ 

**  Some  time  during  the  night  of  Augusti 
21st,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  are  awak* 


120  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

ened  by  sounds  of  rapid  firing  coming  from 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Rue  St.  Jacques. 
Doors  of  buildings  in  that  thoroughfare  are 
broken  down,  and  three  civilians  are  seriously 
wounded.  The  Germans  dash  through  the 
street  in  automobiles,  soldiers  firing  from 
them  through  shuttered  windows.  Fifteen 
houses  are  set  on  fire. 

*'  Very  early  on  the  morning  of  August 
23rd,  furious  fighting  takes  place  between  the 
opposing  troops,  and  Dinant's  panic-stricken 
citizens  seek  refuge  in  the  cellars  of  their 
homes.  At  sunrise,  the  city  is  entered  into 
simultaneously  from  four  different  roads,  and 
the  carnage  begins.  Helmeted  fiends  force 
their  way  into  private  homes,  murdering  some 
inhabitants,  ejecting  others  and  setting  fire 
to  the  buildings.  There  is  no  prescribed  order 
of  barbarity;  the  Huns  proceed  as  the  spirit 
of  lust  moves  them. 

*'  In  the  quarter  known  as  Fonds  de  Leffe 
barely  a  dozen  men  escape  alive  from  the 
massacre.  Some  men  are  murdered  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  wives  and  children.  M.  Him- 
mer,  director  of  the  local  factory,  is  mur- 
dered   together    with    more    than    a    hundred 


DINANT  121 

of  his  employees.  Women  and  children  are 
locked  in  the  Abbey  of  the  Premontres  and 
their  church  is  pillaged.  The  same  fate  be- 
falls the  Monastery.  German  soldiers 
dressed  in  the  stolen  garb  of  monks,  strut 
about   the    streets,    making   obscene    gestures. 

**  Flames  are  consuming  every  quarter  of 
the  to^vn.  The  massive  doors  of  our  beau- 
tiful gothic  church  resist  their  fire,  so  the 
Germans,  in  order  to  make  their  fiendish 
work  complete,  apply  the  torch  to  the  tower 
and  roof.  Hundreds  of  men,  women  and 
children  are  driven  to  the  banks  of  the  Meuse 
where  they  are  lined  up  and  ordered  to  raise 
their  arms,  while  German  troops  pass  be- 
hind the  living  barrier  .  .  . 

*'  I  was  in  this  crowd.  I  had  left  m}^  home 
early  in  the  morning  to  see  if  there  appeared 
to  be  a  chance  for  my  family  to  flee,  but  I 
had  not  gone  far  when  I  was  taken  into  cus- 
tody by  some  German  soldiers  .  .  . 

*'  When  the  French  saw  that  we  were  be- 
ing used  as  a  shield  to  protect  the  German 
troops  they  ceased  firing.  About  two  hours 
later  we  were  taken  to  prison.  Almost  im- 
mediately we  were  joined  by  other  citizens  of 


122  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

the  town,  and  from  their  terrified  expressions 

we  knew  that  they  had  passed  through  some 
ordeal  more  frightful  than  that  which  had 
claimed  ns  for  its  victims.  After  a  while 
I  had  a  chance  to  ask  one  of  the  members  of 
this  second  party  what  had  befallen  them. 
He  was  an  old  man,  and,  unlike  his  com- 
panions, he  appeared  to  be  composed. 

''  '  Why  were  we  ordered  to  give  up  our 
arms  before  the  monster  came?  '  he  said  in 
answer  to  my  inquiry.  '  As  long  as  death 
was  to  be  our  fate  we  might  at  least  have 
been  given  the  opportunity  to  send  the 
craven  souls  of  some  of  these  barbarians  to 
hell. 

"  '  I  was  gathered  in  with  this  crowd,  * 
he  went  on  after  a  pause,  '  We  were  taken 
to  a  point  opposite  the  house  of  M.  Fran- 
quinet,  the  architect,  and  there  the  younger 
men  were  taken  from  our  midst  and  lined 
up  against  a  wall,  four  rows  deep.  One  of 
the  officers  said  something  in  German  which 
none  of  us  understood,  and  a  firing  squad 
came  forward  and  shot  down  these  young 
men  .  .  .  shot  them  domi  in  cold  blood  before 


DINANT  123 

**  I  could  scarcely  credit  what  my  fellow 
prisoner  had  told  me,  it  seemed  too  fright- 
ful to  be  true,  but  I  was  soon  to  learn  that 
his  experience  was  as  nothing  compared  to 
other  calamities  that  had  overtaken  our 
beautiful  city. 

"  In  one  section  of  the  town  between 
eighty  and  ninety  men,  women  and  children 
were  herded  together,  driven  against  a  wall 
and  shot.  Later  in  the  day  the  Germans 
found  that  not  all  of  their  victims  were  dead 
and  these,— many  of  them  seriously  wounded 
and  weak  from  loss  of  blood — were  made  to 
dig  a  deep  trench  as  a  grave  for  their  mur- 
dered comrades.  Many  of  our  citizens  were 
burned  alive  in  their  homes  .  .  .  Sometimes 
I  feel  sure  that  it  was  thus  that  my  own  dear 
ones  perished  .  .  .  One  aged  woman,  a  friend 
of  my  wife,  was  a  paralytic.  She  was  known 
to  be  alone  in  her  home  at  the  time  the  Ger- 
mans applied  the  torch  to  it.  Some  of  her 
neighbors  begged  permission  to  carry  her 
to  safety,  but  instead  of  the  request  being 
granted  they  were  forced  to  stand  in  front 
of  the  house  and  watch  its   destruction. 

**  I  was  in  a  crowd  of  four  hundred  raea 


124  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

who  were  deported  to  Germany.  "We  were 
taken  to  the  heights  of  Dinant  and  there  we 
were  kept  for  one  whole  day  without  food. 
When  we  asked  our  guards  what  they  in- 
tended doing  with  us  they  answered  that  we 
were  to  be  sent  to  Germany  and  shot.  In  the 
evening  we  were  given  some  straw  on  which 
to  sleep,  and  the  next  morning  at  about  ten 
o'clock  we  were  given  a  little  soup.  Then  we 
were  taken  down  into  the  city,  under  armed 
escort,  and  ordered  to  search  among  the 
smouldering  ruins  for  empty  cans  and  other 
small  utensils  which  we  were  told  to  keep  for 
our  needs  until  our  arrival  in  Germany. 
Our  escorts  continuously  threatened  us  with 
death. 

'^  Finally  we  started  on  our  Calvary.  We 
were  marched  in  rows  four  deep,  with  sol- 
diers back  of  each  row.  We  passed  many  com- 
panies of  German  troops  coming  from  the 
opposite  direction,  and  almost  without  excep- 
tion they  would  shout  abuse  at  us.  Some  of 
these  soldiers  gave  us  to  understand  by  their 
gestures  that  we  were  to  be  hung  or  shot. 
Many  of  them  hurled  handfuls  of  dirt  at  us. 

**  Late  in  the   afternoon  we  were   given   a 


DINANT  125 

scanty  ration  of  weak  soup  and  a  few  bis- 
cuits, and  then  at  nightfall,  when  we  were 
near  the  village  of  Geryoux,  we  were  told 
that  we  could  sleep  in  the  damp  grass  of  a 
large  field.  We  were  told  that  if  anyone 
attempted  to  speak  or  rise  during  the  night 
be  would  be  immediately  shot. 

**  The  next  day  we  were  driven  forward 
on  our  journey.  By  this  time  many  were 
suffering  acute  pain;  they  had  traveled  a 
long  distance  in  house  slippers,  and  they  were 
footsore;  most  of  us  had  walked  bareheaded 
for  two  days  under  the  August  sun.  At 
Marche  we  were  packed  into  a  building 
scarcely  large  enough  to  accomodate  one 
fourth  of  our  number,  and  there  we  were 
forced  to  spend  the  night  standing,  although 
we  were  at  the  point  of  fainting  from  fatigue. 
In  the  morning  the  inhabitants  of  Marche 
were  allowed  to  give  us  food  and  clothing,  and 
then  we  were  taken  on  to  the  station  of  Mel- 
veux  where  we  were  herded  into  cattle 
trains.  The  trains  which  had  neither  benches 
nor  straw  had  but  recently  given  up  their  cargo 
of  cattle,  and  the  odor  of  offal  was  sicken- 
ing.    After  a  wait  of  about   two  hours   we 


126  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

were  en  route  for  Germany. 

*'  At  each  station  along  our  journey  in 
Germany  we  were  exhibited  to  crowds  that 
had  gathered  to  see  the  terrible  franc-tireurs 
of  Belgium!  Soldiers  and  officers  vied  with 
civilians  in  hurling  vile  imprecations  and 
threats  at  us.  Very  early  on  the  morning  of 
August  28  we  arrived  at  Cassel;  the  journey 
had  lasted  thirty-five  hours  and  in  that  time 
we  had  been  given  food  and  drink  only  once! 
We  were  litteraly  dumped  out  of  the  cattle 
cars  and  driven  through  the  streets  of  the 
town,  through  crowds  of  people  who,  des- 
pite the  early  hour,  were  waiting  to  greet  us 
with  yells  and  curses. 

**  Our  final  destination  was  a  jail  into 
which  we  were  herded,  three  and  four  of  us 
to  each  tiny  cell.  We  had  no  beds  to  sleep 
upon,  and  our  only  resting  place  was  a  pile 
of  vile  smelling  straw  which  was  not  changed 
until  six  weeks  after  our  arrival!  Such  food 
as  we  were  given  was  either  tasteless  or  hor- 
ribly offensive  in  odor.  The  most  promin- 
ent men  of  Dinant  were  included  in  our 
ranks — the  Burgomaster,  the  Procurator  of 
the  King,  the  Judge,  lawyers,  doctors,  clergy- 


DINANT  127 

men — and  yet  all  were  treated  in  the  same 
manner.  It  was  late  in  November  when  we 
were  released  and  allowed  to  return  home, 
released  without  a  word  of  explanation.  We 
were  not  subjected  to  trial,  and  our  dismissal 
was  just  as  unwarranted,  as  unreasonable 
and  mysterious  as  our  arrest  had  been." 

It  was  my  almost  invariable  custom,  when 
I  heard  such  tales  in  Belgium,  to  ask  my  in- 
formers whether  the  Germans  had  not  been 
provoked  by  the  sniping  of  francs-tireurs. 

*'  Is  it  possible,"  I  asked  after  a  pause, 
"  that  some  injudicious  and  over-zealoua 
patriots  of  Dinant  were  guilty  of  sniping, 
thus  precipitating  the  catastrophe  that  be- 
fell the  town?  " 

**  No!  "  my  companion  protested  with 
heat,  "  such  was  not  the  case,  whatever  the 
Germans  may  say.  I  did  not  see  a  single  civ- 
ilian handling  a  weapon  of  any  kind.  But,  sup- 
pose a  handful  of  foolish  ones  had  offered 
armed  resistance;  how  long  would  it  have 
taken  the  mighty  German  army  to  apprehend 
and  punish  them?  As  early  as  the  morning 
of  August  16th  our  Burgomaster  had  warned 


128  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

posted  all  over  the  city,  ordering  us  to  bring 
all  weapons  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  And  in 
order  to  insure  obedience  of  this  order  our 
police  searched  every  home  where  inhabit- 
ants were  suspected  of  having  retained  their 
weapons." 


CHAPTER  Vin. 

Chaeleeoi. 

My  good  friend.  Father  Larsimont,  often 
spoke  to  me  of  what  he  had  seen  in  Charleroi 
at  the  end  of  that  fateful  August  1914.  I 
have  taken  down  his  testimony  because  of  its 
interest  and  unquestionable  authority,  and 
will  quote  his  own  words. 

During  the  first  days  of  the  war,  the  resist- 
ance of  Liege  had  produced  enthusiasm  all 
over  Belgium,  and  everybody  was  speaking 
of  the  exploits  of  the  heroic  troops  who  had 
stopped  the  first  advance  of  the  Germans. 

By  and  by,  however,  unrest  took  the  place 
of  enthusiasm.  The  help  that  our  allies  had 
promised  to  send  us  did  not  arrive  as  soon  as 
we  had  expected.  On  August  12th,  the  rumor 
was  circulated  that  Liege  had  been  taken,  that 
the  Belgian  army  was  retreating  towards 
Louvain  and  Antwerp,  and  that  the  Germans 

129 


130  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

were  approaching  Namur.  On  the  15th  of 
August  the  French  had  succeeded  in  coming 
to  Dinant  and  won  there  a  brilliant  victory. 
Five  more  days  of  increasing  uncertitude 
followed.  News  about  the  German  advance 
and  the  French  movements  were  contradict- 
ory. On  August  19th  and  20th  Charleroi  ap- 
plauded relatively  important  groups  of  French 
soldiers  who  took  position  around  the  city. 
In  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  a  first  patrol  of 
Uhlans  was  made  prisoner  on  the  Grand 
Place  of  the  city,  but  notwithstanding  this 
fact,  most  of  the  inhabitants  believed  that 
the  German  army  had  not  passed  Namur,  about 
25  miles  to  the  east  of  Charleroi,  and  that  the 
Uhlans  were  only  a  small  patrol  which  had  got 
lost  during  the  preceding  night.  The  Bel- 
gian newspapers  had  probably  received  the 
order  not  to  inform  the  public  about  the  pre- 
vailing condition,  in  order  not  to  scare  the 
population.  On  Friday,  August  21st,  we  read 
in  the  last  editions  of  the  newspapers  that 
there  was  no  reason  to  be  alarmed,  and  that 
the  situation  was  good.  But  open  columns  in 
those  newspapers  indicated  the  hand  of  the 
censor  and  gave  us  pessimistic  feelings,  which 


CHARLEROI  131 

increased  considerably  when  the  sound  of  the 
cannon  made  itself  heard  in  the  distance. 
That  same  evening  we  saw  the  French,  who 
had  taken  position  in  our  suburb  of  Montig- 
nj^-sur-Sambre  (East  of  Charier oi)  retire  to- 
wards, the  South,  and  during  the  night  other 
soldiers  passed  by.  They  were  returning 
from  the  battle  line,  exhausted,  but  they  barely 
were  allowed  to  rest  for  five  minutes.  They 
told  us  that  the  Germans  were  coming  in 
numbers  and  that  the  French  were  taking  up 
more  favorable  positions  for  the  next  day. 
Most  of  them  eventually  occupied  positions 
upon  the  southern  shores  of  the  Sambre, 
placing  by  so  doing  the  valley  of  the  Sambre 
between  them  and  the  enemy. 

It  was  during  the  same  night  that  the  Gor- 
man army  covered  a  distance  of  about  25  miles 
and  enveloped  the  French  army  in  the  tri- 
angle Dinant,  Namur,  Charleroi,  called  the 
Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse.  Next  morning,  Sat- 
urday 22nd,  at  3  o'cock,  the  sound  of  the 
cannons  unexpectedly  rumbled  very  near  by. 
It  was  the  beginning  of  the  fighting  to  the 
west  of  Charleroi  and  the  east  of  Chatelet. 
Towards  9  o'clock  in  the  morniBg  the  French 


132  BACK  FROM  GELGIUM 

evacuated  the  city  of  Charleroi;  there  was 
not  much  fighting  in  the  city  of  Charleroi  it- 
self, and  only  a  few  losses  on  either  side. 

The  Germans  immediately  took  possession 
of  the  houses  on  both  sides  of  the  boulevard 
and  the  main  street  of  the  "Ville  Haute". 
They  claimed  that  the  reason  for  doing  so 
was  to  protect  themselves  against  the  danger 
of  the  francs-tireurs. 

By  eleven  o'clock  the  French  had  evacuated 
the  position  of  Chatelet  east  of  the  suburb.  I 
could  follow  the  movements  of  both  armies 
from  the  summit  of  a  litle  hill  formed  by  the 
refuse  of  one  of  our  coal  quarries,  and 
watched  the  last  French  troops  placed  at 
Montigny-sur-Sambre  retire  towards  noon  in 
the  direction  of  the  south  and  take  position 
in  woods  covering  the  hills  of  the  right  shore 
of  the  Sambre.  From  that  point  the  ad- 
vance of  the  Germans  could  easily  be  observed. 
As  the  shooting  had  temporarily  ceased,  I 
hurried  home. 

At  half  past  one  that  afternoon,  I  could  see 
from  the  windows  of  my  house,  located  in  a 
small,  deserted  street,  the  first  Germans  de- 
scending towards  the  river  Sambre  through  the 


CHAELEROI  133 

principal  street.    This  was  the  order  of  their 
columns ; 

1)  Cyclists  at  a  slow  pace,  the  rifle  held 
under  the  arm; 

2)  Infantry,  rows  distanced  about  10 
meters  from  each  other  with  their  ri- 
fles ready  to  fire. 

3)  A  group  of  about  a  Knndred  civilian 
prisoners,  all  men; 

4)  Three    or    four    infantry   companies; 

5)  Automobiles  of  which  several  were 
pulled  by  horses  (these  automobiles 
did  not  belong  to  the  German  army) ; 

6)  Field  artillery  of  different  caliber; 

7)  Another  group  of  about  300  prisoners 
kept  together  by  a  long  rope  held  by 
those  forming  the  ends  of  the  group ; 

8)  The  rest  of  the  army  corps,  infantry, 
cavalry,  artillery,  munition,  and  inter- 
minable convoys  of  provisions,  and 
finally    ambulances. 

A  part  of  the  infantry  stopped  on  the  shores 
of  the  Sambre  and  all  along  the  principal 
street.    They  piled  their  guns,  deposited  their 


134  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

equipment,  and  by  and  by  the  street  was  filled 
with  soldiers,  some  sitting,  some  lying  down, 
inspecting  the  houses  or  going  for  water. 

The  inhabitants  at  first  did  not  leave  their 
dwellings,  but  seeing  that  the  soldiers  were 
calm,  they  gradually  came  out  to  offer  them 
water,  soap,  towels,  cigars,  bread,  butter  etc. 
The  soldiers  accepted  with  thanks  and  advised 
our  people  to  remain  inside  and  not  to  leave 
their  houses,  giving  the  reason  that  there  was 
not  much  good  to  be  expected  from  the  sol- 
diers who  were  to  follow  them. 

In  the  meantime,  I  chose  as  an  observation 
post  the  tower  of  the  church  dominating  the 
valley,  so  as  to  be  able  to  see  when  and  how 
the  battle  would  start,  if  the  last  French 
soldiers  intended  tQ  defend  the  passage  of 
the  Sambre. 

Up  to  5  o^clock  in  the  afternoon  not  a  single 
shot  came  from  the  woods  where  I  expected 
the  French  to  be  ready  for  action.  A  few 
bullets  were  sent  by  the  Germans  without 
answer  from  the  French  side.  Meanwhile  a 
German  aeroplane  was  circling  above  the 
town. 

The  reason  why  the  French  waited  to  open 


CHARLEROI  135 

fire  on  the  Germans,  as  a  wounded  French 
soldier  told  me  later,  was  the  presence  of 
Belgian  civilians  at  the  head  of  the  German 
column,  hut  suddenly  I  heard  the  rattle  of  the 
French  guns.  The  Germans  who  at  that  time 
were  moving  forwards  pointed  their  cannons 
and  machine  guns  toward  the  sound.  I  re- 
turned home  through  the  old  cemetery  that 
surrounds  the  church  and  leads  to  my  garden, 
creeping  over  the  ground,  because  the  walla 
forming  the  fence  around  the  cemetery  are 
very  low,  and  bullets  coming  from  all  direc- 
tions were  whistling  through  the  air.  In  the 
main  street,  opposite  my  house,  groups  of 
Germans,  continued  singing  the  **  Wacht  am 
Bhein  "  which  they  had  started  some  time 
before  by  order  of  one  of  the  offtcers. 

The  rhythm  of  song  mixed  with  the  thunder 
of  the  cannon  and  the  rattle  of  machine  guns 
was  impressing,  notwithstanding  the  painful 
surprise  it  caused  us,  but  soon  I  saw  soldiers 
running  to  hide  themselves  behind  walls,  in 
corners  or  in  the  opening  of  doors  as  French 
bullets  came  in  their  direction. 

The  panic  did  not  last  long.  A  whistle 
signal,  and  the  men  ran  for  their  arms  and 


136  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

baggage.  I  heard  the  rattling  of  the  gans, 
and  then  through  the  windows  of  a  house  I 
noticed  the  sinister  flames  of  a  fire  I  Our 
chastisement  was  beginning. 

Seeing  their  men  fall,  and  not  knowing 
where  the  bullets  came  from,  the  Germans 
pretended  that  the  shots  had  been  fired  from 
windows  and  that  we  were  hiding  French 
soldiers  in  our  houses.  They  set  all  the 
buildings  of  the  towTi  afire,  and  started  shoot- 
ing in  all  directions  through  windows  and 
doors. 

Beginning  with  the  stores  on  the  Grand 
Place,  they  broke  the  windows  with  chairs  or 
the  butts  of  their  guns,  and  almost  immediate- 
ly fire  broke  out.  The  inhabitants  took  refuge 
in  the  cellars,  and  when  their  dwelling  was 
set  afire  they  tried  to  escape  through  the  back 
yards.  There  seemed  no  end  to  the  incessant 
stream  of  German  soldiers,  and  each  fresh 
company  which  arrived  continued  the  work 
of  destruction  begun  by  its  predecessors,  caus- 
ing new  fires  as  they  passed  by. 

Towards  8  o'clock,  it  was  getting  dark,  and 
the  incendiary  work  could  be  better  seen  by 
the    light    of    the    flames.      Horses    drawing 


CHAELEROI  137 

numition  wagons  galloped  tliroiigh  the  narrow 
streets  where  the  heat  caused  by  the  fires  was 
more  intense.  By  half  past  ten  o'clock  I  saw 
another  group  of  German  soldiers  accompan- 
ied by  a  new  group  of  prisoners,  and  amongst 
them  were  priests,  women  and  children.  Theso 
hostages  did  not  go  far;  they  were  placed  up- 
on the  two  bridges  used  by  the  Germans  for 
crossing  the  Sambre  between  Montigny  and 
Couillet. 

These  same  priests,  women  and  children 
were  later  compelled  to  go  to  Somzee  where 
the  next  morning,  Sunday,  the  French  fought 
a  hard  battle.  Amongst  them  were  four  of 
our  Brothers  of  St.  Jean  Baptiste  de  la  Salle. 
They  suffered  intensely  from  the  insults  and 
beatings,  especially  their  director.  Brother 
Merantius  who  was  64  years  old.  !With  the 
other  prisoners  he  had  to  clear  the  road  of 
the  heavy  rocks  and  stones  accumulated  there 
by  the  French.  A  soldier  struck  him  several 
times  with  a  stick,  because  he  did  not  work 
fast  enough.  Another  Brother's  frock  was 
pulled  off  and  taken  away.  All  this  time,  bul- 
lets were  whistling  around  in  such  quantities 
that  some  Germans  of  kinder  disposition  ad- 


138  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

vised  the  prisoners  to  lay  down  in  order  to 
escape  sure  death. 

All  night  the  German  army  continued 
marching  through  the  town.  Sometimes  a 
half  hour  elapsed  before  another  army  ar- 
rived. Inasmuch  as  I  was  separated  by  the 
width  of  a  narrow  street  only  from  the  con- 
vent of  Ste.  Marie,  I  decided  to  see  the  sis- 
ters and  tell  them  to  bring  water  up  stairs  on 
the  side  where  the  fire  was  spreading,  with  the 
object  of  throwing  that  water  upon  the  roof 
of  the  adjoining  dwelling  which  was  much 
lower  than  the  roof  of  the  convent.  I  found 
the  poor  sisters  assembled  in  their  front  cor- 
ridor, all  terrified.  The  Sister  Superior  had 
taken  the  Holy  Sacrament  with  her,  the  cibory 
was  placed  in  a  case  which  she  carried,  and 
they  all  were  preparing  to  escape  in  the  op- 
posite direction  of  the  streets  to  where  the 
Germans  were  passing  in  case  the  fire  should 
spread  to  the  convent. 

The  orphans,  assembled  there  a  few  days 
before  from  another  convent,  had  taken  refuge 
in  the  cellars  so  as  not  to  be  exposed  to  the 
bullets.  I  endeavored  to  console  them.  The 
Holy  Sacrament  was  transported  to  the  cellar, 


CHARLEEOI  139 

and  the  water  buckets  were  filled.  "We  suc- 
ceeded in  stopping  the  fire  before  it  reached 
the  convent. 

Dr.  Dutriex,  who  lived  quite  near  the  con- 
vent, and  who  had  been  called  upon  during  the 
night  by  the  Germans  to  care  for  their  wound- 
ed, pleaded  with  the  officers  not  to  set  fire  to 
the  houses  of  the  street  where  he  lived. 
Thanks  to  his  intervention  the  incendiary 
work  in  the  neighborhood  came  to  an  end. 

Between  the  convent  and  my  own  home,  a 
distance  of  about  70  yards,  I  had  not  seen  any 
German  soldiers.  Therefore,  I  decided  at 
6  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning  to  return  and 
say  mass  in  the  chapel  of  the  convent;  nobody 
could  be  expected  in  church  that  day. 

After  mass,  on  my  return  home,  I  inspected 
the  narrow  street  for  fear  that  soldiers  might 
be  there  as  they  were  still  marching  through 
the  principal  street.  I  detected  nothing  and 
proceeded  cautiously.  I  had  only  to  cross  the 
street,  and  considered  myself  out  of  danger 
when,  at  the  moment  I  left  the  wall  of  the 
convent,  a  soldier  appeared  in  front  of  me  and 
held  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  against  my  breast, 
exclaiming  *'  Stop!  "    Immediately  I  told  him 


140  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

there  was  no  reason  for  him  to  shoot.  He 
ordered  me  to  accompany  him,  and  I  was  led 
before  a  group  of  officers  able  to  speak  French. 
I  observed  then  that  the  **  Grand  Place  "  was 
filled  with  newly  arrived  German  soldiers.  It 
was  another  army  corps  taking  hostages  be- 
fore advancing.  I  expressed  my  surprise  at 
such  action.  They  admitted  that  it  was  ab- 
normal, but  claimed  to  have  received  the  order 
to  do  so.  These  officers  were  relatively  polite 
with  the  exception  of  one  of  them  who  obstin- 
ately insisted  in  keeping  me  and  held  me  by 
the  arm.  I  was  allowed  to  return  home  and  to 
get  my  hat  and  clothing.  Four  soldiers  es- 
corted me,  and  my  sister  was  compelled  to 
hand  the  requested  objects — they  did  not  let 
me  go  inside.  It  was  a  very  painful  moment. 
[What  was  going  to  happen  next? 

I  was  directed  on  the  main  street  to  an  of- 
ficer of  high  rank  who  asked  me  in  French: 
**Are  you  the  priest  of  this  locality?  '*  I 
answered  in  the  affirmative.  ''  Sir  ",  he  said, 
**  What  we  have  to  do  is  very  regrettable,  but 
you  allowed  a  war  of  francs-tireurs  to  be  made 
against  us!'*  **  I  beg  your  pardon,"  I  re- 
plied,   **  I    told    the    civilians    not    to    shoot, 


CHARLEROI  141 

the  authorities  placed  posters  with  the  same 
orders,  and  the  newspapers  have  reproduced 
these  orders." 

"  Your  influence  has  been  very  important!  " 

**  I  certainly  have  not  the  influence  you  im- 
agine, and  I  can  assure  you  that  the  only 
shots  fired  came  from  French  soldiers  posted 
on  Couillet  heights,  and  not  from  civilians." 

"  You  lie,  "  exclaimed  the  officer,  **  It  was 
your  damned  civilians,  and  we  are  going  to 
knock  their  houses  down  over  their  heads." 

It  was  impossible  to  argue  with  this  brute, 
so  I  merely  asked  him  if  I  could  hope  to  be 
set  at  liberty.  He  ordered  me  to  follow  the 
soldiers,  and  I  was  led  away  from  the  artil- 
lery and  ammunition  column  towards  a  place 
where  all  prisoners  were  concentrated.  I 
walked  through  a  crowd  of  soldiers  who  in- 
sulted me,  pointing  at  their  wounded  com- 
rades, at  the  bandages  on  arms  or  head,  ex- 
claiming that  I  was  responsible.  A  few  mom- 
ents later,  close  to  whore  I  was  standing,  three 
of  my  companions,  found  in  the  cellar  of 
Vandervelde  *s  house,  were  shot:  DeVos, 
Merkeman  and  Vandevelde.  The  reason  for 
this  execution  was  the  finding  of  a  revolver 


142  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

in  a  room  of  the  house. 

An  officer,  speaking  the  French  language 
very  fluently,  asked  me  if  the  authoritities 
had  requested  the  surrender  of  all  arms  by 
the  population.  I  informed  him  that  the  Civil 
Guard  had  been  disarmed  two  days  before,  but 
that  the  sudden  and  unexpected  arrival  of  the 
German  troops  had  prevented  all  the  civil- 
ians complj'ing  with  the  order  given  before. 
He  also  asked  me  if  I  could  designate  houses 
where  arms  were  still  to  be  found.  I  told  him 
that  I  could  not,  as  I  did  not  know  who  pos- 
essed  arms.  I  added  that  it  was  very  hard 
for  us  to  be  treated  as  we  were,  inasmuch  as 
we  did  not  have  any  hatred  against  Germany 
before  the  war,  and  furthermore  that  the  large 
steel  plants  of  the  Sambre  and  Moselle,  where 
5000  of  our  people  were  working  are  German. 
He  answered:  *' I  also  feel  sorry,  sir,  be- 
cause I  left  many  friends  in  Belgium!  But 
the  civilians  have  fired." 

I  pointed  out  that  the  civilians  proved  their 
kindness  for  the  German  soldiers  during  Sat- 
urday afternoon,  but  he  answered  that  they 
acted  so  in  order  to  gain  the  confidence  of 
the  soldiers  and  to  stab  them  in  the  back  later 


CHAELEROI  143 

on.    I  think  that  this  man  meant  what  he  said. 

The  officer  did  not  know  whether  I  was  to 
be  set  at  liberty  or  not,  but  during  this  con- 
versation, shooting  was  heard  behind  the  house 
where  I  was  standing.  It  was  the  execution 
of  unfortunate  civilians  accused  of  having 
shot  at  the  German  soldiers.  We  found  about, 
40  bodies  aligned  on  this  spot;  seven  of  them 
had  been  shot  under  the  very  eyes  of  their 
wives  who  on  bended  knees  had  vainly  im- 
plored for  pity  on  behalf  of  their  husbands. 

Most  of  my  companions  and  myself  had 
been  captured  without  having  eaten  or  drunk, 
and,  as  a  result  of  the  emotions  we  had  gone 
through,  we  felt  very  thirsty.  A  few  soldiers 
had  compassion  and  gave  us  a  bottle  filled 
with  water  which  we  passed  one  to  another. 
One  soldier  let  the  hostages  partake  of  the 
wine  which  filled  his  gourd,  others  offered 
chairs  to  the  grayhaired  prisoners  pending 
our  departure.  Two  men  were  released ;  the 
one  for  the  sake  of  his  young  son  who  spoke 
German  and  implored  pity  for  his  father;  the 
other  one,  because  his  little  daughter,  about 
tea  years  old,  did  not  want  to  be  separated 
from  her  father. 


IM  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

We  had  been  macle  prisoners  by  the  73r(i 
Infantry  regiment.  About  one  hour  later, 
an  offtcer  appeared  who  gave  the  signal  to 
depart  to  the  group  of  nearly  one  hundred 
persons  to  which  I  belonged.  The  order  was 
given  in  French:  **  Forward!  and  he  who 
tries  to  escape  will  be  shot!  " 

We  descended  towards  the  Sambre,  pass- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  soldiers  and  the  am- 
munition wagons.  Every  now  and  then 
threatening  remarks  were  addressed  to  ug 
or  a  fist  or  whip  shaken  at  us.  In  front  of 
the  hospital  I  noticed  that  doors  and  win- 
dows had  been  broken,  and  the  window  panes 
pierced  by  bullets. 

Marching  over  the  Grand  Place,  I  saw  to 
my  left,  seated  upon  arm  chairs  and  smok- 
ing cigars,  a  group  of  officers,  amongst  whom 
the  one  who  had  questioned  me  after  my  ar- 
rest. I  bowed  and  he  answered  by  bowing 
and  laughing.  Further  down  I  saw  here  and 
there  bodies  of  dead  horses  in  puddles  of 
blood,  corpses  of  civilians  piled  up  and  cov- 
ered with  yellow  woolen  bed  covers  stolen 
from  the  inhabitants;  broken  bottles,  gro- 
ceries, bones,  straw,  hay,  smashed  furniture. 


CHABLEEOI  145 

all  lying  pell  mell  in  the  street.  On  onr  left 
several  houses  were  still  burning,  and  to 
make  the  picture  complete,  a  lone  soldier 
standing  in  front  of  the  door  of  a  pillaged 
house  played  the  accordion  as  we  passed. 
Behind  the  hills  hording  the  Sambre  the 
cannons'  voices  once  moreJ  resounded.  It 
was   an  infernal   spectacle. 

When  we  arrived  close  to  Ihe  bridge  span- 
ning the  Sambre,  I  met  a  group  of  women 
ascending  the  main  street  in  opposite  direc- 
tion, composed  of  eight  sisters  of  Ste.  Marie 
and  four  other  women,  amongst  them  my 
sister.  They  were  returning  from  the  same 
bridge  where  during  the  night  the  Germans 
had  placed  women  and  children,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent the  Frenclx  destroying  the  bridge.  Af- 
ter my  capture,  the  sisters'  convent  was  in* 
vaded  by  German  soldiers  who  got  in  through 
the  back  door  which  they  had  broken  to 
splinters.  They  ordered  everybody  outside, 
and  started  a  so  called  search  for  hidden 
civilians.  The  little  orphans  were  standing 
on  the  street,  trembling  and  crying.  A  sol- 
dier told  the  sister  to  have  the  children  stop 
their  cries  as  it  disturbed  his  officers.    Luck- 


146  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

ily  the  little  ones  were  hushed  before  the  out- 
raged  officers   could   stop   their    cries. 

After  the  convent  had  been  thoroughly 
searched,  my  sister  asked  a  soldier  whether 
the  sisters  could  now  return  to  their  convent. 
The  soldier  answered  in  the  affimative;  but 
at  the  very  moment  when  the  sisters  reached 
the  door,  a  young  lieutenant  came  running 
to  them  and  said  in  French:  **  We  want  six 
sisters!*'  and  addressing  my  sister,  "you 
also!  '*  She  first  refused  and  finally  said 
that  she  was  not  dressed  for  a  long  journey. 
'*  Go  and  dress  yourself  I  "  replied  the  officer 
and  he  made  a  sign  to  a  nearby  soldier  who, 
taking  his  gun  from  his  shoulder  and  cov- 
ering my  sister  with  it,  followed  her  in  the 
house.  Then  she  had  to  join  the  nuns,  and 
the  whole  group  was  led  to  the  bridge. 

As  I  was  going  to  cross  the  Sambre,  a 
soldier  stationed  by  the  bridge  took  mo 
rudely  by  the  arm  ( I  was  the  last  one  to 
the  left  of  a  row  of  five  hostages)  and,  pull- 
ing me  out  of  the  ranks,  he  gave  me  a  vio- 
lent punch  in  the  face,  calling  me  "  schwein  " 
(pig).  We  had  to  walk  ahead  of  the  soldiers 
until  we   arrived   in   the   village    of   Loveral, 


CHARLEROI  147 

at  the  spot  where  the  street  de  Gilly  crosses 
the  road  to  Philippeville.  After  a  halt  of 
20  minutes  we  had  to  return,  in  rows  of  four 
towards  the  Sambre  at  Couillet.  All  along 
the  road,  soldiers  at  rest  or  marching  sang 
**  Die  Wacht  am  Rhein ".  More  soldiers 
insulted  me,  showing  me  their  clinched  fist 
or  their  gun.  Arrived  at  Couillet,  a  petty 
officer  struck  me  on  the  head  with  a  whip 
while  exclaiming;  **  Ah!  a  priest  I'',  and  a  few 
steps  further  an  artillery  officer,  when  he  saw 
me  come,  began  swinging  his  sword  and  tried 
to  hit  me  in  the  back.  Luckily  a  sudden 
movement  of  the  crowd  placed  some  of  the 
soldiers  between  me  and  the  officer,  who 
was  prevented  from  carrying  out  his  inten- 
tion. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  road  I  saw  sol- 
diers, amusing  themselves  by  slightly  stab- 
bing with  their  bayonets  my  companions  in 
the  back  as  they  passed.  I  also  noticed  a 
drunken  petty  officer  striking  with  the  fists 
or  kicking  one  of  my  fellow  prisoners  for 
the  only  reason  that  he  did  not  understand 
a  question  put  in  German,  and  answered: 
"No,    I    did   nothing!"      Other    soldiers    fi- 


148  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

nally  answered  in  his  stead  by  exclaiming 
**  ja!  jal  "  This  brought  an  end  to  the  mal- 
treatment. 

We  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  some  hous- 
es where  fire  was  still  smouldering,  and  in  an 
excessive  heat  we  witnessed  the  movements 
of  different  groups  of  infantry  and  aromuni- 
tion    convoys    arriving    from    all    directions. 

The  hostages  numbering  now  more  than 
five  hundred,  were  divided  into  two  groups, 
The  first  started  towards  Charleroi.  The 
unfortunate  people  had  to  walk  hands  up 
in  the  air.  In  the  other  group,  to  which  I  be- 
longed, we  were  placed  in  ranks  of  three  and 
had  to  walk  in  the  midst  of  the  soldiers  on 
the  main  road  of  Philippeville.  Before  start- 
ing the  same  captain  who  had  told  us:  **The 
first  one  who  tries  to  escape  will  be  shot  ** 
called  me  from  the  ranks  and  said  to  me  in 
French  '*  Mr.  Pastor,  tell  aU  those  men  that 
if  we  are  fired  upon  in  the  villages  through 
which  we  go,  all  of  them  will  be  shot.  If  no- 
body shoots  at  us,  tomorrow  every  one  of 
the  hostages  will  be  set  at  liberty.'*  I  re- 
turned and  transmitted  the  message.  I  asked 
further  if  I  was  also  to  be  free.     He  an- 


CHAELEEOI  149 

swered  in  tlie  affirmative. 

We  started  on  our  journey.  All  day  long 
and  during  the  following  night,  we  were  op- 
pressed by  the  fear  that  somebody  might 
fire  at  our  escort.  When  passing  through 
the  town  of  Couillet,  the  soldiers,  as  they  did 
in  Montigny,  destroyed  the  doors  with  their 
hatchets,  broke  the  windows  with  the  butt 
ends  of  their  guns  and  pillaged  the  houses. 
I  then  noticed  that  the  German  soldiers  con- 
stituting our  escort  were  not  the  same 
who  had  been  our  guardians  at  the  beginning 
of  our  captivity.  One  of  them,  of  amiable 
appearance,  approached  me  and  speaking 
very  low  asked  me  if  I  was  a  Catholic  priest. 
I  said  I  was.  Thereupon  he  told  me  he  was 
a  Catholic  also  and  that  six  others  of  his 
comrades  had  the  same  religion.  A  conver- 
sation between  us  two  began.  When  I  left 
my  house  I  had  taken  with  me  a  German 
grammar,  and  thanks  to  a  dictionary  at  the 
end  of  the  book,  I  was  able  to  make  myself 
understood  in  German.  This  man  was  con- 
vinced of  the  so-called  cruelty  of  the  Bel- 
gians, and  even  of  the  Belgian  priests,  against 
the  German  wounded.     He  claimed  that  the 


150  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

officers  were  informed  rightly.  He  pointed 
to  a  shed  to  the  right  of  the  road,  and  told 
me  that  two  of  his  comrades  had  been  killed 
there  on  the  previous  day  by  a  civilian.  I 
had  occasion  to  visit  the  spot  a  few  days 
later,  and  learned  that  two  Germans  had  in- 
deed been  killed  there  by  a  French  soldier. 

After  what  seemed  a  long  time  we  reached 
a  large  field  where  ammunition  wagons  were 
packed  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square,  we 
being  placed  in  the  middle.  As  we  were  com- 
pletely exhausted  the  Germans  allowed  us 
to  lay  down  on  the  ground.  Here  again  I 
was  insulted  by  cavalrymen,  who  coming 
close  to  me  looked  at  me  disdainfully,  point- 
ing me  out  to  one  another,  menacing  me  with 
their  whips  and  accusing  me  of  having  fired 
upon  Germans.  Occasionally  I  answered: 
**  I  have  done  nothing  of  the  kind."  This 
answer  having  however,  the  result  of  exciting 
their  anger  I  avoided  speaking  and  kept  my 
eyes  down.  We  remained  there  until  6:30 
P.  M.  Nearby  the  cannon  was  still  rumbling, 
but  with  less  intensity. 

One  of  the  catholic  soldiers  who  had  spok- 
en  to  me   earlier   in   the   day  brought  mo   a 


CHARLEROI  151 

bag  of  biscuits  to  be  distributed  amongst 
my  friends,  and  this  did  much  to  give  us 
strength  for  the  next  part  of  our  journey. 

When  we  resumed  our  march,  the  soldiers 
were  still  talking  about  the  cruelty  of  the 
civilians.  I  heard  a  petty  officer,  the  same 
who  had  beaten  one  of  my  companions  in 
the  morning,  say  in  German  to  one  of  the 
prisoners :  *  *  We  too  are  married,  we  all 
have  a  family  to  support;  still  the  civilians 
fire  upon  us;  the  priests  even  do  so.  There 
is  one  of  them  right  with  us.  Tomorrow  morn- 
ing we  will  get  him!  '* 

At  the  next  stop  I  exhibfted  before  a  few 
soldiers  a  picture  that  I  had  found  in  my 
German  grammar  representing  a  Christian 
woman  and  a  child,  captives  in  the  anti- 
theatre  of  Eome  and  waiting  to  be  delivered 
to  the  wild  beasts.  On  the  back  of  the  imago 
was  the  following  inscription  in  German: 
'*  Fortunate  will  be  those  who  suffer  perse- 
cution for  the  sake  of  Justice,  because  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven  is  theirs.'*  The  sol- 
diers read  the  text,  and  silently  walked  away. 
A  few  minutes  later  one  of  them  returned  and 
told  me  I  was  not  to  be  shot,  as  my  hands 


152  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

had  not  been  bound  and  as  my  back  was  not 
marked  with  a  cross  in  chalk. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  were  finally  halted  and 
ordered  to  lie  down  on  the  ground  in  an  open 
spot  where  sentinels  surrounded  ns.  We 
were  warned  not  to  move,  but  a  poor  boy  of 
our  group,  a  lad  of  feeble  intellect  named 
De  May,  tried  to  escape  in  the  darkness.  We 
heard  the  loud  call  to  stop,  and  at  the  same 
time  three  consecutive  shots  resounded.  Af- 
ter the  third  shot  I  heard  somebody  give  the 
order  to  stop  firing.  The  young  man  had 
been  shot  in  the  leg,  and  as  the  Germans 
neither  attended  him  nor  allowed  anyone  else 
to  do  so  he  died  of  hemorrhage. 

The  captain  was  furious,  and  threw  him- 
self upon  the  five  nearest  hostages,  saying 
in  French:  "And  now  all  shall  be  shot.'* 
I  first  thought  that  he  meant  us  all  but  I  saw 
the  soldiers  bring  away  these  five  men  only. 
From  a  distance  I  gave  them  the  absolution 
as  they  disappeared  in  the  darkness.  A  few 
minutes  later  I  heard  the  volley  of  the  exe- 
cution squad. 

We  were  then  removed  to  a  stable,  into 
which  we  were   jostled,   the   door   being   se- 


CHAELEROI  153 

cared  behind  ns  by  a  heavy  farm  wagon 
pushed  against  it.  This  stable  was  already 
crowded  with  people,  so  that  we  had  to 
stand,  leaning  against  one  another  in  a  suf- 
focating atmosphere  while  vermin  crept 
over  our  bodies  and  faces.  Some  men  were 
praying,  and  begged  me  to  hear  their  con- 
fession; others  were  cursing  monotonously. 
Somebody  wanted  to  open  a  window,  but 
others  opposed  it,  fearing  that  the  soldiers 
might  fire  into  the  crowd.  Others  exclaimed: 
'*  It  will  be  better  to  be  killed  by  a  shot;  we 
are  dying  here  anyhow. '*  One  of  our  party 
begged  the  sentinels  to  open  a  window  but 
they  replied  with  the  shouted  command: 
''Sleep.''  FinaUy  at  5:30  the  gate  was 
opened,  and  we  rushed  upon  a  few  water 
buckets  in  the  yard  of  the  brewery  to  quencli 
our  thirst. 

We  were  then  led  to  the  same  spot  where 
we  had  been  put  the  previous  night,  and  it 
waB  there  that  the  officer  in  charge  abruptly 
told  me  that  I  could  return  home  with  all 
the  other  hostages.  Before  leaving,  however, 
I  called  his  attention  to  the  fact  that  several 
of  my  companions  had  been  already  captured 


154  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

and  released  two  or  three  times,  and  I  asked 
him  to  give  us  a  passport  so  that  we  should 
not  be  arrested  by  the  troops  which  we  would 
undoubtedly  encounter.  **  That  is  true,"  he 
said,  **  I  am  going  to  dictate  one  ",  and 
calling  his  orderly  he  dictated  a  pass  and 
signed  it  **Von  MuUer,  73rd  regiment."  I 
thanked  him  and  took  charge  of  our  group. 
Five  or  six  times  on  our  way  home  I  had  to 
exhibit  the  pass  to  other  German  army 
troops,  yet  we  proceeded  as  swiftly  as  pos- 
sible, the  younger  men  helping  the  elderly 
who  could  hardly  walk.  Some  of  the  sol- 
diers who  passed  by  greeted  us  with  a  smile 
while  others  sent  us  angry  looks  and  clinched 
their  fists. 

When  we  neared  our  homes  the  mothers 
and  chidren  of  those  who  accompanied  me 
ran  out  to  greet  them,  and  I  had  to  break  the 
news  of  the  executions  that  had  taken  place. 
Apart  from  the  men  shot  without  reason  by 
the  Huns  several  of  the  older  hostages  died 
within  a  few  days  as  the  result  of  suffering 
and  exposure,  while  not  a  few  became  insane. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

LOUVAIN. 

Five  centuries  of  labor  turned  into  dust 
.  .  .  such  was  the  German  triumph  at  Lou- 
vain. 

It  was  with  a  heavy  heart  that  I  visited  the 
once  gay  and  quaint  city  whose  library  dated 
from  the  12th  century  and  contained  more 
than  250,000  volumes,  many  of  them  priceless. 
Within  the  city  the  streets  had  hardly  been 
cleared  of  the  debris,  and  at  every  step  the 
wind  would  fill  my  eyes  with  dust  from  the 
heaps  of  dirt  and  ashes.  The  atmosphere  was 
heavy  with  the  stale,  sickening  odor  of  burned 
things. 

Laboriously  I  picked  my  way  down  Station 
street,  one  of  the  thoroughfares  that  had  suf- 
fered most.  After  a  while  I  paused  to  gaze 
about  me  at  the  awful  spectacle  of  devastation. 
Presently  I  was  approached  by  a  little  urchin 

155 


156  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

wHo  furtively  showed  me  a  package  of  picture 
postcards  wMch  he  wanted  to  sell  for  fifty 
centimes.       I     bought     without     bargaining. 

Hardly  had  the  purchase  been  consumated 
when  the  lad  scampered  away  and  I  was  ap- 
proached by  a  man  who  appeared  to  be  a 
Belgian  laborer.  He  gave  me  a  quick,  search- 
ing glance,  and  then  his  eyes  fell  upon  the 
postcards  in  my  hands. 

''Hide  them,"  he  said  in  a  quick  under- 
tone, **  unless  you  wish  to  get  in  trouble. 
You  must  be  a  stranger,  for  such  things  are 
forbidden  and  are  only  sold  clandestinely." 

He  spoke  excellent  French,  an  unusual 
tongue  to  hear  in  Louvain  where  the  language 
is  either  Flemish  or  defective  French. 

"Yes,"  I  answered,  pocketing  the  cards, 
**  I  am  an  American." 

**  I  thought  so,  "  he  said.  His  eyes  spark- 
led and  he  extended  his  hand.  **  We  love 
the  Americans  from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts. 
They  have  been  our  good  friends  in  our  hour 
of  need.    Permit  me  to  thank  you." 

Despite  the  rough  garb  he  wore  I  was  con- 
vinced by  his  bearing  that  he  was  not  what  he 
appeared  to  be.     I  felt  sure  he  was  not  a 


LOUVAIN  157 

laborer  but  a  gentleman  in  disguise,  probably 
in  Louvain  on  a  secret  mission. 

**  Would  it  be  too  much,**  I  ventured,  **  to 
ask  you  to  accompany  me  about  Louvain  I 
Have  you  the  time  at  your  disposal?  '* 

He  held  my  gaze  for  a  full  moment  before 
he  answered. 

*  *  I  shall  accompany  you  as  far  as  the  church 
(of  St.  Pierre  and  then  leave  you.  It  would  be 
unsafe  for  both  of  us  to  be  seen  in  each  otHer's 
company  for  a  longer  period.  Even  as  we 
stand  here  we  are  being  watched.  Without 
appearing  to  glance  about,  take  notice  how 
suspiciously  we  are  regarded  by  passing  offi- 
cers and  soldiers.*' 

We  remained  where  we  were  for  a  few  mo- 
ments longer,  ostensibly  chatting,  the  while 
I  followed  his  suggestion.  Every  officer,  every 
soldier  who  passed  us  would  give  us  a  search- 
ing survey.  Some  of  them  even  stopped  to 
look  back  after  they  had  gone  a  distance  be- 
yond where  we  were  standing. 

**  Come,'*  said  my  acquaintance,  **we  will 
attract  less  attention  if  we  walk  leisurely,** 

*'  What  other  quarters  of  Louvain  have 
sufferecl  as  this  one  has?    I  asked  after  we 


158  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

had  gone   a  short  distance. 

*'  The  wealthy  quarter  inhabited  by  the  Uni- 
versity professors,  the  Place  du  Peuple,  the 
Rue  Leopold  and  the  adjacent  streets.  Then, 
as  you  will  observe  when  you  reach  there,  the 
very  heart  of  the  city,  round  the  church  of  St. 
Pierre  and  the  neighborhood  of  the  Hotel  de 
Ville  suffered  horribly. 

**  Were  you  here  on  the  fatal  night?  " 

"Yes,"  he  answered  grimly,  "that  night 
and  ever  since.  And  I  hope  to  be  here  for  the 
hour  of  reparation.'' 

We  were  nearing  the  church  as  my  com- 
panion struggled  for  composure. 

"  Look  before  you  at  the  ruins  of  the  house 
opposite  the  church,'*  he  said  in  a  voice  that 
shook  with  emotion.  "  Only  one  wall  stand- 
ing, the  front  one,  and  that  full  of  bullet  holes. 
Do  you  see  the  three  small  crosses  at  the 
right?  That  is  the  tomb  of  my  wife  and  two 
little  ones.  When  the  massacre  began  I  went 
to  the  assistance  of  friends  who  lived  at  the 
other  end  of  the  town.  I  thought  my  loved 
ones  were  safe  and  they  died  undefended! 
Oh,  God  I  that  I  had  been  with  them  I  You 
would  now  see  more  than  three  crosses!  " 


LOUVAIN  159 

He  clenched  his  fists  and  had  to  pause  for 
a  moment.  After  a  while  he  went  on  with  his 
story.  * 

*'  The  terrible  picture  of  Louvain's  marj^tr- 
dom  will  be  with  me  imtil  my  hour  of  death. 
In  groups  of  six  or  eight  the  drunken  devils 
went  for  eight  days,  from  house  to  house, 
breaking  in  doors,  crashing  through  windows, 
penetrating  into  cellars.  They  blew  open 
safes,  carried  away  furniture,  clothes,  silver- 
ware, provisions — everything  they  could  lay 
their  hands  on.  I,  myself,  saw  scores  of  mil- 
itary trucks  filled  with  booty  on  their  way  to 
the  station.'* 

"Is  it  known  how  many  persons  lost  their 
lives  in  Louvain?  "  I  asked,  as  we  walked 
along. 

"  So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain, 
210  of  our  citizens  were  murdered.  I  helped 
to  bury  many  of  them.  Twenty-four  of  the 
victims  were  women,  twelve  were  octogenari- 
ans, and  there  were  scores  of  little  children 
from  a  few  months  to  fifteen  years  of  age. 
You  cannot  imagine  the  brutal  lust  with  which 
many  of  the  murders  were  committed.  All 
through  the  night  of  Friday,  August  28th,  the 


160  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

aged  Cure  of  Herent  was  kept  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  street,  guarded  by  soldiers.  In 
the  morning  he  fell  to  the  ground  exhausted. 
Two  of  the  soldiers  picked  him  up,  one  at  his 
head  and  the  other  at  his  feet,  and  after 
swinging  him  in  the  air  for  a  few  moments 
they  threw  him  on  to  a  small  balustrade,  and 
there  they  shot  him  with  a  bullet  through  the 
heart.*' 

My  acquaintance  shuddered  and  ceased 
speaking.  After  a  few  minutes  he  ipoke 
again. 

"  I  must  be  leaving  you  now,  or  both  of  ua 
will  be  subjected  to  annoying  questions.  You 
will  find  that  what  is  left  of  the  church  is 
closed  by  order  of  the  military  authorities. 
But,  if  you  will  go  to  the  sexton,  who  lives  in 
the  first  house  to  the  right,  and  tell  him  you 
are  an  American,  he  will  probably  let  you  in. 
Good  bye  and  good  luck.  Above  everything, 
be  cautious." 

With  a  hearty  handshake  and  a  courteous 
bow  he  left  me.  I  followed  his  directions  and 
made  my  way  to  the  house  lie  had  indicated. 
A  middle-aged  man  opened  the  door  for  mo. 

"Pardon  me,  Monsieur,"  I  said  to  him,  "  I 


LOUVAIN  161 

am  an  American  and  would  like  to  see  the  in- 
terior of  St.  Pierre.  Will  you  be  kind  enough 
to  let  me  in?  " 

He  examined  me  critically  for  a  moment. 

''  How  do  I  know  you  are  an  American?  " 
he  asked  suspiciously. 

I  drew  forth  my  imposing  passport  and 
pointed  to  the  engraved  insignia  at  the  top. 
He  frowned  at  it  and  then  frowned  at  me,  but 
his  frown  quickly  faded  into  a  smile  of  reas- 
surance. Then  he  made  a  hasty  survey  of  the 
neighborhood. 

"  "Walk  slowly  until  you  reach  the  side  door, 
and  then  walk  nonchalantly  up  and  down  un- 
till  I  come.'* 

Twenty  minutes  later  I  was  inside  the 
church,  picking  my  way  amid  the  ruins  of  the 
fallen  vault  and  the  melted  bells  with  which 
the  floor  was  strewn.  It  was  easy  to  see  how 
the  place  had  been  set  on  fire.  In  each  of  the 
lateral  chapels  of  the  great  nave  a  pyre  had 
been  made  by  piling  up  altars,  furniture  and 
pews.  Some  of  these  pyres  had  evidently 
burned  feebly  and  then  flickered  out,  and  thus 
some  of  the  beautiful  woodwork  had  been 
saved.    The  two  masterpieces  by  Bouts    **  The 


162  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

Last  Summer  "  and  Martyrdom  of  St.  Eras- 
mus*' which  hung  in  one  of  the  aspidal  cha- 
pels, had  escaped  the  flames  but  they  had  been 
removed  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville  by  the  mili- 
tary authorities  in  charge  of  the  town.  The 
steeple  and  roof  had  been  destroyed  beyond 
repairs.  Beyond  this  there  was  nothing  to 
see  but  the  smoke-scarred  and  bullet-pierced 
walls. 

From  the  church  of  St.  Pierre  I  turned  my 
steps  toward  other  devastated  sections  of  the 
city.  One  by  one  I  visited  the  ruins  of  other 
famous  buildings  that  had  fallen  before  the 
brutal  advance  of  the  Hun — the  Halls  of 
the  University,  the  Palais  de  Justice,  the  Acad- 
emie  des  Beaux-Arts,  the  theatre  and  the 
Ecole  Commerciale  et  Consulaire  of  the  Uni- 
versity. The  Library  of  the  University  was 
nothing  but  a  heap  of  formless  debris.  Not  a 
single  book,  not  even  one  manuscript  had  been 
saved.  With  it  had  perished  the  gallery  of 
busts,  the  priceless  collection  of  portraits  by 
masters  and  the  precious  archives. 

Later  I  went  to  the  American  College  of 
Louvain,  founded  by  two  American  bishops 
for  the  purpose  of  educating  young  Americana 


LOUVAIN  163 

in  the  customs  and  languages  of  the  old  world 
and  of  training  European  students  for  the 
American  field.  It  was  late  afternoon,  and  I 
sat  with  the  Rector,  Monseigneur  De  Becker, 
in  the  garden  of  the  college,  listening  to  the 
distant  canon. 

My  companion  was  very  thoughtful.  His 
features  were  contracted,  and  he  would  brush 
his  forehead  from  time  to  time,  as  if  to  dispel 
some  troublesome  thought.  After  a  period  of 
silence  he  fell  to  musing  aloud. 

**Ah!**  he  sighed,  ''what  evil  days  have 
come  upon  us.  We  were  so  happy  here  with 
our  boys — our  children  from  the  four  quarters 
of  the  earth.  How  popular  were  the  German 
seminarists  from  the  Rhine  country!  They 
seemed  to  love  their  Alma  Mater  so  tenderly, 
and  every  summer  they  would  come  to  visit 
us,  and  what  splendid  times  we  had  together. 
I  confess  that  I  was  partial  to  them.  Does 
not  German  blood  flow  through  my  veins? 
But  now  I  cannot  bear  the  sight  of  them,  even 
though  they  are  my  brothers.  How  we  have 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Germans!  Lou- 
vain  will   never  welcome   them  again,  never! 

I  did  not  venture  to  speak,  and  for  a  long 


164  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

time  we  sat  silent,  each,  busy  with  his  own 
thoughts.  After  a  while  Judge  de  Becker, 
brother  of  my  companion,  came  and  joined 
ns.  His  home  had  been  totally  destroyed  in 
the  invasion,  and  most  of  his  family  had  fled 
to  Switzerland  for  refuge,  but  he  and  his 
youngest  daughter,  Juliette,  had  elected  to 
remain  behind  and  they  were  making  their 
home  with  Monseigneur. 

*'  Even  today,"  said  Monseigneur,  as  his 
brother  sat  down  beside  us,  **  there  are  times 
when  everything  seems  hazy,  unreal,  nothing 
but  a  horrible  nightmare.  I  feel  that  I  must 
awake  and  find  it  all  a  dream." 

**  Did  the  catastrophe  come  unexpectedly," 
I  asked,  "  or  did  you  know  that  trouble  was 
impending!  " 

**  It  was  like  a  thunderbolt  out  of  a  clear 
sky,"  interposed  the  Judge.  "  I  had  given 
hospitality  to  the  Commander  of  the  first  con- 
tingent of  German  troops  to  arrive  in  Louvain. 
He  told  me  many  times  how  greatly  he  ad- 
mired the   restraint  of  our  citizens. 

''  The  Germans  entered  Louvain  first  on 
Wednesday,  Au,gust  19th.  The  population 
was  peaceful,  the  communal  authorities  very 


LOUVAIN  165 

courteous.  The  German  military  authori- 
ties made  a  number  of  regulations  at  once — ■ 
and  they  were  promptly  obeyed — first,  that  the 
people  should  be  inside  their  homes  before 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening;  secondly  that  all 
doors  be  left  open  and  all  windows  lighted  up ; 
thirdly,  that  all  weapons,  munitions  and  gaso- 
line be  deposited  in  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  and, 
finally,  that  inhabitants  be  ready  to  lodge  and 
feed  in  each  home  a  number  of  soldiers  and 
oflScers. 

**  Everything  went  well  until  Tuesday,  Aug- 
ust 25th.  It  was  a  little  after  eight  in  the  ev- 
ening and  our  citizens,  complying  with  the  mili- 
tary order,  had  retired  to  their  homes,  when 
a  brisk  fusilade  was  heard  in  the  direction  of 
the  Rue  de  la  Station  and  Porte  de  Bruxelles. 

**I  opened  a  window  and  looked  out.  The 
sound  grew  nearer  and  nearer,  and  soon  bul- 
lets were  whistling  in  the  garden  below.  Then 
the  rattle  of  machine-guns  was  added  to  the 
inferno  of  noises.  I  closed  the  window  and 
joined  a  number  of  my  neighbors  who  had 
sought  refuge  in  the  cellar. 

"At  dawn  T  crept  upstairs.  The  town  was 
in  flames,  and  I  could  see  that  my  own  house 


166  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

was  doomed  by  the  conflagration.  I  summoned 
my  family,  and  we  started  for  the  American 
College  which  seemed  to  be  outside  the  path 
of  the  fire. 

''People  were  fleeing  in  all  directions.  Some 
were  carrying  bundles,  hurrying  along  in 
silence.  Others  were  screaming  aloud,  their 
hands  raised  high,  beating  the  air,  imploring 
help.  Sick  women  were  being  carried  to  safety 
on  carts  drawn  by  dogs.  Children  separated 
from  their  parents  were  running  in  all  direc- 
tions, calling  aloud  for  their  mothers  and 
fathers. 

"Such  cruelty  as  was  visited  upon  us  that 
night — and  for  the  week  following.  It  was 
all  so  horrible  and  so  unmerited.  Our  citizens 
had  done  nothing.  They  were  a  peaceful, 
law-abiding  lot.  Why,  in  their  desire  to  rid 
themselves  of  any  incriminating  weapons  they 
had  taken  all  sorts  of  useless  and  antique 
articles  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville — razors  and 
other  things  which  even  the  Germans 
did  not  classify  as  weapons.  And  what  was 
their  reward?  Murder,  torture,  pillage,  in- 
cendiarism. The  German  had  to  show  his 
power.'* 


LOUVAIN  167 

"And  you,  Monseigneur, "  I  said  when  the 
Judge  ceased  speaking  **how  did  it  fare  with 
you?" 

"  "What  I  suffered,"  was  his  answer,  "  forty 
thousand  of  my  fellow  citizens  suffered — 
nay,  some  suffered  more.  Instead  of  com- 
plaining, I  should  be  thankful  to  God  that 
my  life  was  spared.  But  it  was  so  horrible 
that  one  cannot  rid  one's  mind  of  the  memory. 

"  On  that  fateful  Wednesday  night  I  was 
restless  and  could  not  retire.  When  I  saw  the 
glare  of  the  burning  houses  from  my"  window 
I  went  to  the  roof  to  get  a  better  view  of 
the  town.  House  after  house  was  breaking 
into  flames,  others  which  had  been  burning 
for  some  time  were  collapsing.  I  remained 
on  the  roof  until  two  oclock  in  the  morning, 
when  the  first  flames  darted  through  the  roof 
of  the  Library. 

*'  On  Thursday  morning,  ^.ugust  27th  at 
nine  o'clock,  an  order  was  promulgated 
throughout  the  toTvni  instructing  the  inhabi- 
tants to  f^ee,  as  Louvain  was  to  be  bombarded. 
Old  women  and  men,  women  in  delicate  condi- 
tion, priests  and  nuns,  people  belonging  to 
every  stratum  of  society,  began  to  crowd  the 


168  BACK  FEOirB'ELGIlTM 

streets,  many  of  them  carrying  bundles  of 
their  most  cherished  belongings. 

**  Brutal  German  soldiers  drove  groups 
of  people  in  different  directions.  More  than 
ten  thousand  men,  women  and  children  were 
driven  as  far  as  Tourlemont,  eighteen 
kilometres  from  Louvain,  without  a  moment 
for  rest  or  food  along  the  way.  "Worse  still, 
they  were  exposed  to  all  sorts  of  ignominies. 
Those  in  the  vanguard  were  compelled  to 
raise  their  arms  or  bend  their  knees  at  the 
passage  of  German  officers. 

**  Others  were  driven  to  Bruxelles,  and  from 
there  sent  to  Germany  as  prisoners.  We  have 
since  heard  from  hundreds  of  them — and 
such  tales  of  suffering  as  they  have  written  I 
They  were  kept  out  in  the  open  many  nights 
in  pouring  rain,  sho-\vn  to  the  populace  in 
open  carts  in  the  German  cities  through  which 
they  had  to  pass,  hooted  at  and  spat  upon. 

"  And  in  spite  of  all  that  Louvain  was  not 
bombarded  at  all.  The  Germans  ordered  it 
evacuated  so  that  they  could  pillage  it  un- 
hampered. That  was  the  purpose  of  their 
order,  a  purpose  which  they  began  to  put 
into    execution    almost    at    the    moment    our 


All    iiitcrc'.stin.u;    ])ictiirr    of    I'.dilli    C'a\fll    taken    a    ivw    day: 
In-tDrL-    the    traL;ic    events    wliicli    (.Mided    in    lier    execution. 


LOUVAIN  169 

people  were  leaving  their  homes. 

*'  I  was  with  the  contingent  which  was 
ordered  to  move  in  the  direction  of  Tervueren. 
Many  of  my  fellow-exiles  were  cripples  and 
invalids  who  had  to  be  transported  in  wheel- 
barrows. Many  were  children,  of  all  ages; 
there  were  aristocrats  and  peasants,  ecclesias- 
tics and  nnns.  What  a  heart-breaking  jurney ! 
Many  of  us  passed  mined  houses  where  only 
a  few  days  before  our  friends  had  entertained 
us.  The  many  villages  that  fringed  the  road 
were  in  ruins.  Corpses  of  men  and  animals 
were  on  every  side;  the  air  was  horrible 
with  the  odor  of  burned  flesh. 

**  When  some  of  the  old  or  feeble  members 
of  the  contingent  lagged  behind  they  were 
prodded  with  the  bayonet  and  ordered  to  walk 
faster.  Two  men,  carrying  a  young  woman 
who  had  given  birth  to  a  child  that  morning, 
attempted  to  pass  ahead  in  their  haste  to  bring 
her  to  some  shelter  before  she  perished  from 
exposure.  They  were  pushed  back  with  brutal 
violence  by  soldiers  who  shouted  **  Lump- 
schweinehunde  '*   (foolish  pig  dogs)   at  them. 

"  Priests  were  the  particular  objects  of 
abuse,    and   vilest    abuse    was    hurled    at   us. 


170  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

We  certainly  had  been  given  into  the  custody 
of  the  dregs  of  the  German  army.  Some 
of  the  officers  joined  in  the  abuse,  others 
looked  ashamed  and  half  apologetic. 

*'  To  add  to  the  terror  of  the  situation  we 
were  constantly  threatened  with  death.  At 
the  outskirts  of  the  village  of  Tervueren  the 
priests  were  singled  out  and  stopped,  while 
the  rest  of  our  comrades  were  ordered  to 
continue  their  journey  toward  Bruxelles.  That 
was  noon  of  Thursday,  August  27th.  There 
were  about  150  churchmen  in  our  party,  in- 
cluding the  Rector  and  Vice-Rectors  of  the 
University.  We  were  driven  into  an  en- 
closed field  and  twentj^-six  priests,  of  whom 
I  was  one,  were  ordered  to  line  up  against 
a  fence.  We  thought  our  last  hour  had  come ; 
and  we  confessed  to  each  other  and  gave  each 
other  absolution. 

*'  After  some  minutes  had  passed,  min- 
utes which  seemed  to  drag  into  eternity,  we 
were  informed  that  we  were  taken  as  host- 
ages and  would  not  be  released  until  the  end 
of  the  war.  We  were  then  driven  across 
a  field  to  a  spot  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  a  wood,  where  we  were  dra^vn  up  in  rows. 


LOUVAIN  171 

I  stepped  out  of  line  and  made  an  effort  to 
regain  my  liberty  by  stating  who  I  was  and 
my  connection  with  an  American  institu- 
tion. I  had  scarcely  uttered  a  sound  before 
an  officer  stopped  me." 

'  *  Silence !  "  he  roared.  * '  This  is  no  time 
for   explanations. ' ' 

' '  But  I  am  Eector  of  the  American  Col- 
lege,"   I  protested. 

*'  I  don't  care  who  you  are,"  he  shouted, 
turning  on  his  heel  and  walking  away. 

*'  It  was  at  that  moment  that  Father  Eu- 
gene Dupiereux,  a  young  Jesuit,  was  led  to- 
ward us  between  soldiers  with  fixed  bay- 
onets and  followed  by  two  officers.  His  clasped 
hands  held  his  crucifix  and  rosary  and  by  the 
movement  of  his  lips  we  could  tell  that  he 
was  praj-ing.  The  procession  halted  a  few 
yards  from  where  we  were  lined  up." 

"  Which  one  of  you  can  speak  German?  " 
asked  one,  of  the  officers. 

*'  Father  Schill,  a  native  of  Luxemburg, 
stepped  forward." 

*'  Read  this,"  commanded  the  officer,  pro- 
ducing a  scrap  of  paper,  '*  read  it  and  trans- 
late it  into  German.     If  you  omit  or  add  a 


172  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

single  word  you  will  be  shot." 

*'  The  paper  bore  a  freshly  made  entry 
which  Father  Dupiereux  had  intended  for 
his  diary  but  which,  in  a  moment  of  thought- 
lessness, he  had  placed  in  his  pocket.  It  had 
been  discovered  when  he  was  searched. 

"I  shall  never  forget  the  agonized  expres- 
sion of  Father  Schill  when  he  glanced  at 
that  piece  of  paper.  We  all  suffered  with  him 
as  he  read  it.  I  cannot  repeat  its  exact  word- 
ing but  in  substance  it  was  something  like 
this: 

"  '  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  we 
laughed  at  stories  of  German  atrocities. 
Now  we  know  how  the  Germans  have 
acted  at  Louvain  we  know  that  the  other 
stories  were  true.  After  the  burning 
of  the  Library  and  University,  the  bar- 
barians can  no  longer  utter  a  word  of  con- 
demnation against  Khalif  Omar  for 
burning  the  Library  at  Alexandria.  And 
all  in  the  name  of  German  kultur !  *  " 

"Enough!"  shouted  the  German  officer. 
"  That  means   death!  " 

"  Father  Dupiereux  did  not  betray  the 
slightest  trace  of  fear  or  emotion.    He  asked 


LOUVAIN  173 

for  permission  to  confess,  which  was  granted, 
but  not  without  churlish  grumbling.  A 
priest  stepped  forward  and  the  young  Jesuit 
knelt  at  his  feet  .  .  . 

**  What  a  scene  I  The  sky  was  yellow,  the 
daylight  sickly.  The  sun  seemed  to  have 
gone  to  sleep  forever,  or  else  to  have  hid- 
den itself  in  shame  at  what  was  transpiring. 
"W^en  Father  Dupiereux  had  received  absolu- 
tion he  arose  and  shook  hands  with  his  con- 
fessor, and  when  he  was  ordered  to  move  to- 
ward the  nearby  wood  he  advanced  alone, 
his    step    steady   and   his    countenance    calm. 

"  "We  were  commanded  to  face  about,  so 
that  we  could  witness  the  execution.  My  body 
did  not  seem  to  want  to  turn ;  my  mind  rebelled 
at  directing  it.  And  if  I  suffered,  what  do 
you  think  must  have  been  the  emotions  of  six- 
teen of  Father  Dupiereux 's  fellow  students, 
who  were  in  our  party,  and  of  his  twin  brother 
Father  Robert  Dupiereux!  .  .  . 

*'  When  thirty  yards  or  so  from  us  the 
young  martyr — he  was  only  twenty- three — • 
was  ordered  to  halt.  Four  soldiers  came  from 
the  rear  and  lined  up  about  ten  yards  in  front 
of    us,    their    guns    pointed    at    their   victim. 


174  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

A  non-commissioned  officer  gave  the  order  to 
fire  .  .  . 

"  After  several  minutes  one  of  Father  Du- 
piereux's  arms  was  still  moving,  clutching  the 
air.  Finally  one  of  the  officers  walked  over 
to  his  prostrate  body  and  despatched  him  by 
firing  a  bullet  into  his  brain.  He  was  buried 
on  the  spot.     Poor,  poor,  boy!  '^ 

Monseigneur  Be  Becker's  frame  shook  with 
emotion  as  he  buried  his  head  in  his  hands. 
After  a  pause  he  looked  up  and  resumed  his 
narrative. 

"  After  that  we  were  loaded  into  open 
carts  and  driven  to  Bruxelles.  I  finally  man- 
aged to  get  in  touch  with  Mr.  Whitlock,  the 
American  Minister,  who  called  upon  the  Ger- 
man authorities  at  once  and  had  me  released 
along  with  several  others.  He  was  kindness 
itself.  He  took  me  back  to  the  College  in 
his  automobile,  and  in  order  to  give  me 
prestige  in  the  eyes  of  the  military  authorities, 
he  personally  came  to  see  me  several  times. 
Since  then  the  American  flag  has  floated  un- 
molested from  our  building  and  we  have  not 
been  disturbed.  But  if  America  should  de- 
clare war  against  Germany,  God  alone  knows 
what  other  tortures  are  ahead  of  usl  ** 


CHAPTER  X. 

Cardinal  Mercieb. 

I  met  His  Eminence  Cardinal  Mercier  for 
the  first  time  in  the  summer  of  1915.  It  was 
at  his  official  residence  in  Bruxelles,  a  palace 
of  comparatively  modem  construction  and  of 
no  particular  architectural  interest.  It  is 
large,  rather  dark,  and  the  waiting-room  into 
which  I  was  introduced  was  comfortably  but 
simply  furnished.  A  few  good  engravings  of 
Rome  were  on  the  walls,  while  on  a  small  stand 
stood  a  gothic  Madonna.  At  one  end  of  the 
room  an  gld  triptych,  half  opened,  occupied 
the  centre  of  a  marble  table  above  which  hung 
a  narrow  mirror  of  pure  Louis  XVI  period. 

About  a  dozen  persons  were  in  the  waiting- 
room  when  I  entered,  all  of  them  there,  like 
myself,  to  see  the  Cardinal  by  appointment. 
In  the  party  were  two  or  three  nuns,  an  aged 
priest,  four  Belgian  gentlemen,  each  dressed 

175 


176  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

in  black,  Ms  top-hat  resting  on  his  knee,  a 
lady,  who,  like  the  four  men,  evidently  be- 
longed to  the  aristocracy,  two  peasants  in 
rough,  blue  smocks,  and  a  large  shapeless, 
middle-aged  woman  with  a  much-worn  shawl 
covering  her  head  and  shoulders. 

The  Cardinal's  visitors,  I  found,  were  re- 
ceived without  preference.  Each  one  was  ad- 
mitted in  his  turn.  An  aged  lay  brother  would 
open  a  door  at  intervals  and  announce  that 
His  Eminence  was  ready  to  receive  the  next 
caller.  Passing  through  the  door  and  follow- 
ing your  escort  you  were  led  to  the  second 
floor,  where  the  Cardinal  received  you  in  his 
study,  a  small  room  in  the  middle  of  a  suite. 
A  door  to  the  right  led  into  his  personal 
chambers,  another  to  the  left  led  into  his  pri- 
vate library.  The  entire  apartment  was 
chastely  furnished,  its  appointments  of  aus- 
tere simplicity.  The  CardinaPs  portrait,  by 
Janssens,  his  favorite,  as  he  told  me  himself, 
hung  in  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  library. 

When  it  came  my  turn  to  be  received  I  fol- 
lowed my  escort  upstairs  where  His  Emin- 
ence, with  both  hands  outstretched,  stood  wait- 
ing for  me  at  his  study  door,  his  face  inex- 


CARDINAL   MERCIER  177 

pressibly  sad,  yet  illuimned  with  a  smile  of 
sympathy.  The  Cardinal  was  sixty-four  years 
old  when  I  met  him.  His  tall  frame  was  gaunt, 
his  shoulders  slightly  stooped,  his  broad  fore- 
head slightly  receding,  his  gaze  benevolent 
and  paternal.  He  looked  exactly  what  the 
world  knew  him  to  be,  the  ascetic  churchman, 
the  scholarly  philosopher,  the  uncompromising 
defender  of  Justice. 

Here  is  a  blending  of  the  personal  knowl- 
edge and  popular  estimate  of  Cardinal  Mer- 
cier  gathered  during  my  various  visits  in 
Belgium:  "With  his  friends  he  is  as  simple 
and  meek  as  a  child,  always  seemingly  uncon- 
scious of  the  honors  which  are  his  not  alone 
through  the  exalted  position  to  which  the 
Church  has  called  him,  but  which  have  also 
accrued  to  him  through  achievements  in 
the  world  of  learning.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
he  has  proved  himself  a  tower  of  strength,  as 
unbending  as  Truth  itself,  when  he  finds  it 
necessary  to  denounce  abuse,  to  condemn  in- 
justice. Then  he  knows  no  fear;  then  his 
courage  is  as  steadfast  as  that  of  the  early 
Christian  martyr. 
After  a  cordial  greeting  the   Cardinal  led 


178  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

the  way  into  his  study  and  bade  me  to  be 
seated.  He  told  me  that  he  had  heard  of  the 
work  I  was  doing,  and  praised  my  mission 
very  highly.  Then  the  subject  evidently  up- 
permost in  his  mind  was  presented  in  a  query 
regarding  the  opinion  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  concerning  Belgium.  He  was 
deeply  moved  when  I  told  him  that  Americans 
of  whatever  religion  were  counted  among  the 
greatest  admirers  of  Belgium  and  of  himself 
for  the  stand  he  had  taken  in  electing  to  re- 
main with  his  people  and  defend  them. 

Cardinal  Mercier,  I  soon  learned,  was  pro- 
foundly grateful  for  the  splendid  work  that 
Herbert  Hoover  and  his  assistants  were  doing 
in  his  stricken  country. 

**  It  has  been  the  cornucopia  of  food  from 
your  fertile  fields,  "  he  said,  "  the  stream  of 
gold  from  your  coffers  and  the  courage  and 
untiring  efforts  of  the  men  you  have  sent 
over  here  that  have  kept  us  from  starvation, 
from  sinking  into  utter  dejection,  and  it  has 
sowed  undying  gratitude  and  sentiments  of 
love  in  the  hearts  of  our  people.*' 

We  discussed  for  some  time  the  work  of 
the  Commission  for  Belgian  Relief  and  other 


CARDINAL   MERCIER  179 

generalities,  and  then  our  conversation  turned 
to  the  subject  of  German  atrocities. 

"  Your  Eminence,"  I  asked,  ''  liow  many 
priests  were  actually  killed  in  the  invasion  of 
Belgium?  " 

**  Thirteen  in  my  Diocese,"  he  replied, 
**  and  forty  in  that  of  Namur." 

"  Is  there  any  foundation  for  the  reports 
that  the  Germans  violated  cloistered  nuns  in 
Belgium?  " 

The  Cardinal's  brow  clouded  for  a  moment 
as  he  sat  in  silence,  his  head  bowed.  I  could 
see  that  I  had  broached  a  distressing  sub- 
ject. 

**  Let  us  not  discuss  that  topic,"  he  said 
finally.  **  It  is  too  delicate,  too  disagree- 
able. Suflfice  it  for  me  to  tell  you  that  there 
are  sisters  in  our  hospitals  today  in  the 
condition  you  have  alluded  to.  We  have  been 
asked  to  take  their  deposition  and  publish 
them,  but  you  can  readily  see  the  unneces- 
sary pain  that  would  bring  to  them.  Their 
depositions  would  have  to  bear  their  names, 
and  their  publication  would  be  but  another 
burden  of  sorrow  added  to  that  which  they 
are  now  bearing.     I  realize  that  our  refusal 


180  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

in  this  matter  may  tend  to  discredit  the  re- 
ports which  the  depositions  would  substan- 
tiate, but  I  am  sure  that  all  good  people  will 
appreciate  the  motive  that  bids  us  keep  si- 
lent." 

The  conversation  again  turned  to  my  work, 
and  after  a  little  while  I  rose  to  make  my 
departure.  Others  were  waiting  to  see  the 
Cardinal  and  I  had  already  consumed  much 
of  his  valuable  time.  But  he  was  very  an- 
xious to  get  further  details  concerning  my 
mission  in  Belgium,  and  to  learn  more  about 
America's  attitude  toward  Belgium's  vio- 
lation. He  asked  me  to  return  at  one  o'clock 
and  take  lunch  with  him. 

I  returned  at  the  appointed  hour  and 
joined  in  His  Eminence's  meal.  Before 
the  war,  Cardinal  Mercier  was  Imown  through- 
out Belgium  for  the  extreme  modesty  of  his 
table  and,  with  so  much  hunger  and  suffer- 
ing about  him,  his  daily  fare  had  become 
even  more  moderate.  One  needed  but  to 
glance  at  his  table  to  see  that  he  was  a  true 
ascete.  He  told  me  that  he  never  touched 
intoxicants,  and  I  learned  that  although  he 
was    tolerant    with   the   habits    of    others    he 


CARDINAL   MERCIER  181 

never  ceased  advocating  teetotalism  among 
his  priests  and  parishioners.  I  was  sur- 
prised, therefore,  when  I  observed  a  decanter 
of  wine  upon  the  table. 

**  Do  you  wish  a  glass  of  wine?  ^'  he 
asked. 

Though  I  am  not  a  total  abstainer  I  re- 
fused out  of  deference  to  his  convictions. 
The  same  brother  who  had  earlier  escorted 
the  Cardinal's  callers  to  his  study  was  in 
attendance  at  the  table.  There  was  a  total 
absence  of  formality;  for  the  time  being  we 
were  just  two  Churchmen  dining  together, 
discussing  the  subjects  that  lay  nearest  to 
our  hearts. 

"We  talked  again  of  the  outrages  perpe- 
trated upon  the  Belgian  people,  and  while 
the  Cardinal  expatiated  upon  certain  par- 
ticulars I  watched  closely  to  see  if  I  could 
observe  any  trace  of  rancor  against  the  op- 
pressors. Never  once  did  a  note  of  hatred 
creep  into  his  voice,  never  once  did  a  shadow 
of  enmity  cross  his  countonaiice,  though  he 
was  righteously  indignant  in  his  denuncia- 
tion of  Gorman  cruelty.  At  times  ho  spoke 
with  a  heat  of  resentment,  but  even  then  there 


182  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

rang  through  his  words  the  tone  of  a  holy, 
measured  indignation.  While  I  was  in  his 
presence  I  felt  the  strong,  beautiful  radiance 
of  his  soul  envelop  me,  and  for  a  long  period 
after  I  left  him  I  felt  uplifted  and  ennobled. 
I  saw  and  talked  with  His  Eminence  on 
a  great  many  occasions  afterward,  but  I  al- 
ways visited  him  guardedly — sometimes  clan- 
destinely— ^because  I  could  not  tell  when  I 
might  fall  under  suspicion  of  the  secret  ser- 
vice, and  I  did  not  want  my  visits  to  add  to 
his   already   heavy   burden    of    sorrow. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  present  on 
July  21st,  191G,  Belgium's  Independence  Day, 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Saint  Gudule  when  Car- 
dinal Mercier  preached  one  of  the  finest  and 
bravest  sermons  that  ever  came  from  human 
lips.  Out  of  those  troubled  days  he  comes 
in  my  memory  a  giant  figure.  I  did  not  know 
then,  that  later  he  was  to  make  me  his  courier 
to  President  Wilson.  But  of  that  in  proper 
time. 

As  he  stood  in  the  pulpit  that  day,  tall, 
gaunt  and  austere,  he  seemed  the  veritable 
symbol  of  bleeding  Belgium,  and  when  he 
spoke   he   was   a   prophet    of   old,   lamenting 


CARDINAL   MERCIER  183 

over  the  ruins  of  his  country's  devastated 
cities.  In  words  that  echoed  through  the  si- 
lent building  he  told  the  people  that  although 
they  were  temporarily  in  the  grasp  of  a 
foreign  power  they  owed  that  power  neither 
love,  nor  respect  nor  obedience.  **  The  only 
legitimate  authority  in  Belgium  today,'*  he 
thundered,  **  is  the  King  and  the  elected 
representatives  of  the  nation." 

The  people  sat  spell-bound  until  the  ab- 
solution, and  then  the  Brabanconne  peeled 
forth  defiantly.  As  the  last  note  died  away, 
a  scene  occurred  which  I  shall  never  forget. 
The  people  had  come  to  church  without  any 
previous  plans  for  demonstration.  They  had 
been  told  to  be  prudent,  but  the  pent-up  feel- 
ings of  months  and  years  were  swept  awa^^ 
by  a  trivial  incident.  A  voice,  rather  timid- 
ly, almost  apologetically,  cried  out,  in  the 
stillness  that  followed  the  conclusion  of  the 
Brabanconne,  the  magic  words,  **  Vive  le 
Roi!  "  There  was  a  moment  which  seemed 
like  the  eternity  of  intense  painful  silence. 
Then  a  shout  like  the  sound  of  a  thousand 
cataracts  filled  the  immense  edifice,  and  it 
was   ''Vive   le   Roi!"     ''Vive    le    Reine!  " 


184  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

''Vivent  les  Princes!"  Vive  la  Belgique!  " 
"Vive  L'Armee!"  and  ''-Vive  le  Car- 
dinal! " 

Thousands  of  arms  were  striking  the  air, 
agitating  hats  and  handkerchiefs.  Strang- 
ers embraced  each  other.  Some  people  were 
laughing.  Others  were  crying.  In  vain  did 
the  organ  try  to  drown  the  mighty  sound; 
it  only  increased  in  volume  and  the  loud 
Hosannahs  were  repeated  over  and  over 
again.  **  Long  live  the  King!*'  **  Long 
live  the  Queen!  »'  **  Long  live  the  Princes!  " 
"Long  live  the  armyl '*  "Long  live  the 
Cardinal!" 

There  were  hundreds  of  German  soldiers 
and  secret  service  men  who  had  gone  there  for 
the  purpose  of  preventing  exactly  such  a 
demonstration,  but  not  one  of  them  dared 
to  interefere;  and  I  admired  their  prudence 
indeed,  because  had  there  been  the  least  in- 
terference while  the  people  were  in  such  tem- 
per, it  would  have  meant  a  catastrophe.  In- 
side of  half  an  hour  the  cannon  would  have 
been  rolling  throughout  the  city,  its  stately 
buildings  would  have  been  pounded  to  ruins, 


CARDINAL   MERCIER  185 

and   thousands   of   human   lives   would    have 
been  lost. 

After  a  while  the  people  streamed  out, 
and  lined  up  the  streets  solidly  between 
the  Cathedral  and  Place  Rogier.  When  the 
Cardinal  appeared  on  the  threshold  again, 
the  same  frantic  salutations  were  given.  It 
was  only  after  his  automobile  disappeared 
beyond  the  station  that  a  platoon  of  soldiers 
charged  and  made  a  few  arrests.  But  the 
people  dispersed  quietly.  They  had  had 
their  day  and  were  not  ill-humored.  The 
next  day  the  city  was  fined  a  million  francs 
for  the  demonstration,  and  all  the  citizens 
of  Bruxelles  for  three  months  had  to  be  in- 
side their  homes  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, under  pain  of  fine  and  imprisonment. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
The  Deportations. 

I  paid  a  visit  to  His  Eminence,  Cardinal 
Mercier,  during  the  worst  period  of  the  de- 
portations. He  had  jnst  returned  from  a 
three  days  visit  of  mercy  and  consolation 
at  Wavre,  Court  St.  Etienne,  Nivelles,  Tubize, 
Braine,  PAllend  and  other  towns  that  had 
fallen  victims  to  one  of  the  worst  forms  of 
Hun  atrocity.  He  was  bowed  with  sadness, 
but  in  his  eyes  there  flashed  the  fire  of  holy 
indignation. 

"  These  past  few  weeks  have  brought  the 
supreme  sorrow  of  my  life,"  he  said,  "  What 
sights  have  I  not  seen!  I  found  the  husband 
and  father  gone  from  almost  every  home  I 
visited — the  children  orphaned,  the  wife  hag- 
gard from  ceaseless  weeping.  The  atmo- 
sphere of  hopelessness  was  in  every  cottage 
I  entered;  one  might  have  fancied  that  some 

186 


THE  DEPORTATIONS  187 

frightful   plague    had    swept    over    the   land, 
leaving  a  corpse  in  every  home." 

''  Your  Eminence,  is  there  any  hope  that 
Germany  may  abandon  these  iniquitous  pro- 
ceedings? "  I  asked. 

**  I  fear  not,"  he  answered.  **  Our  Holy 
Father  and  several  neutral  states  have  al- 
ready addressed  strong  protests  to  Berlin, 
but  to  no  avail.  These  deportations  constitute 
a  flagrant,  deliberate  violation  of  pledges 
made  to  me  personally  by  the  Government 
of  occupation.  After  the  capitulation  of  Ant- 
werp, the  Governor  of  that  Province,  General 
von  Huene,  confirmed  the  oral  promise  he 
had  previously  given  to  me  that  there  would 
be  no  deportations.  He  addressed  a  letter  to 
me  which  was  read  in  all  the  churches — a 
letter  which  stated  that  our  young  men  should 
entertain  no  fear  of  being  sent  to  Germany, 
either  to  be  enrolled  in  the  army  there  or  tq 
be  employed  at  forced  labor.  That  statement 
was  read  in  the  churches  in  October  1914. 

"  When  the  first  Governor-General,  the  late 
Baron  Von  der  Goltz,  arrived  in  Bruxelles, 
I  called  upon  him,  and  made  a  personal  plea 
that   he    ratify    the    pledge    of    General    Von 


188  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

Huene  and  extend  it  to  the  entire  country. 
General  Von  Huen's  promise,  of  course,  had 
applied  only  to  the  Province  of  Antwerp. 

"  The  Governor-General  took  my  petition 
under  advisement,  and  the  next  day  he  called 
upon  me  and  in  the  presence  of  two  members 
of  his  staff  and  my  private  secretary,  he  in- 
formed me  that  the  liberty  of  Belgian  citizens 
would  be  respected.  When  Baron  Von  Bis- 
sing  assumed  the  Governor-Generalship  the 
deportations  were  begun  and  I  addressed  a 
letter  to  him  reciting  the  facts  I  have  just 
related." 

The  Cardinal  gathered  up  some  documents 
from  his  desk  and  handed  me  a  copy  of  his 
letter  to  Baron  Von  Bissing  and  of  another 
letter  addressed  to  Baron  Von  der  Lancken, 
Chief  of  the  Political  Department  in 
Bruxelles.  The  letter  to  the  Governor-Gen- 
eral, after  recounting  the  pledges  made  to 
His  Eminence,  said: 

"  To  doubt  the  authority  of  such  pledges 
would  have  been  an  insult  to  the  persons  who 
had  signed  them,  and  I  therefore  employed 
all  the  powers   of  persuasion  1   possessed  to 


THE   DEPORTATIONS  189 

dispel  the  persistent  uneasiness  of  the  fam- 
ilies concerned. 

*'  But  now  your  Government  is  tearing 
away  from  their  homes  workers  who,  through 
no  fault  of  their  own,  have  been  reduced  to 
a  state  of  unemployment.  It  is  violently 
separating  them  from  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, and  deporting  them  to  a  foreign  land. 
A  large  number  of  workmen  have  already 
met  this  unhappy  fate;  more  numerous  still 
are  those  who  are  menaced  with  the  same 
violence. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  freedom  of  domicile 
and  the  freedom  of  labor;  in  the  name  of  the 
inviolability  of  family  life;  in  the  name  of 
morality,  which  the  policy  of  deportation 
would  gravely  compromise;  in  the  name  of 
the  pledges  given  by  the  Governor  of  Ant- 
werp and  the  Governor  General,  the  immedi- 
ate representative  of  the  supreme  authority 
in  the  German  empire,  I  respectfully  ask 
Your  Excellency  to  have  the  measures  of 
compulsory  labor  and  deportation  repealed, 
and  to  restore  to  their  hearths  those  Belgian 
workmen  who   have   been   already   deported. 

"  Your    Excellency    will    appreciate    how 


190  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

heavy  would  be  the  weight  of  my  responsibil- 
ity towards  families  if  the  confidence  which 
they  have  reposed  in  you  through  my  inter- 
vention and  on  my  recommendation  were  la- 
mentably deceived.  I  cannot,  however,  be- 
lieve that  such  will  be  the  case.'' 

This  letter  to  the  Governor-General  was 
dated  October  19,  1916.  On  the  same  date 
His  Eminence  addressed  the  following  letter 
to  Baron  Von  der  Lancken: 

**  Sir:  I  have  had  the  honor  of  sending  His 
Excellency,  Baron  Von  Bissing,  a  letter  of 
which  I  enclose  a  copy. 

**  Repeatedly  and  even  publicly  the  Gover- 
nor-General has  expressed  his  intention  to 
reserve  a  large  share  of  his  solicitude  for 
the  interests  of  the  occupied  territory,  and 
you  yourself  have  often  afl&rmed  the  wish  of 
the  German  authorities  not  to  perpetrate  for 
the  period  of  occupation  the  state  of  war 
which  existed  during  its  early  days.  Conse- 
quently, I  cannot  believe  that  you  will  put  in- 
to execution  the  measures  with  which  your 
Government  threatens  the  Belgian  workmen 
who  have  been  reduced,  through  no  fault  of 
their  own,  to  a  state  of  unemployment. 


THE  DEPORTATIONS  191 

**  I  hope  you  will  use  all  your  influence  with 
the  higher  authorities  to  prevent  such  a  crime. 

**  Do  not  speak  to  us,  I  beg  of  you,  of  the 
need  of  maintaining  public  order,  nor  of  the 
burden  on  public  charity.  Spare  us  this 
bitter  irony.  You  are  well  aware  that  public 
order  is  not  menaced,  and  that  every  moral 
and  civil  influence  would  spontaneously  coop- 
erate with  you  if  public  order  were  endanger- 
ed. The  unemployed  are  not  a  burden  on 
official  charity,  and  it  is  not  from  your  finances 
that  they  derive  support. 

**  Consider  whether  it  is  not  to  the  interest 
of  Germany,  as  well  as  to  your  own,  to  res- 
pect the  pledges  signed  by  two  high  officials 
of  your  empire. 

**  I  feel  confident  that  my  petitions  to  the 
Governor-General  and  you  will  not  be  misin- 
terpreted or  misunderstood,  and  beg  to 
remain, 

Yours  respectfully, 

D.  J.  Cardinal  Mercier 
Archbishop  of  Malines 


192  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

"  "What  answer  did  the  Governor-General 
make  to  the  representation  of  Your  Emin- 
ence? "     I  asked. 

'*  He  had  recourse  to  sophisms,"  was  the 
Cardinal's  reply.  *'  He  told  me  that  the  prom- 
ises I  referred  to  regarded  only  men  of  mili- 
tary age,  not  the  unemployed.  He  said  that 
the  measure  was  rendered  imperative  by  so- 
cial and  economic  conditions  due  mainly  to  the 
policy  pursued  by  England  to  isolate  Ger- 
many, and  which  had  gradually  extended  to 
Belgium  where  all  factories  had  had  to  close 
down  because  of  lack  of  raw  material  caused 
by  the  discontinuance  of  importations.  He 
contended  that  Belgian  workmen  would  ob- 
tain regularly  a  leave  of  absence  to  return 
home  to  visit  their  families,  or  better  still — • 
as  he  put  it  I — that  they  could  arrange  for 
their  families  to  join  them  in  Germany.  Hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  workmen  being  idle  in 
Belgium,  whereas  there  was  a  shortage  of 
labor  in  Germany,  made  it  the  economic  duty 
of  his  Government,  so  he  said,  to  employ  the 
idle  Belgians  on  productive  work  in  Germany. 
He  claimed  that  all  of  the  blame  should  be  put 
,on  England  w^ho  had  created  such  condition's 


THE  DEPORTATIONS  193 

by  her  policy  of  isolation." 

**  Is  it  true,"  I  asked  His  Eminence, 
*'  that  the  Germans  are  taking  Belgian  men 
indiscriminately,  without  regard  to  their  con- 
dition or  occupation?  " 

**  Alas,  it  is  only  too  true,"  was  the  reply. 
"  At  first  only  the  unemployed  were  threat- 
ened but  now  they  are  taking  all  able-bodied 
men,  bearding  them  into  cattle  trains,  and  send- 
ing them  God  only  knows  where.  One  of  the 
reasons  advanced  by  Baron  von  Bissing  in 
favor  of  deportation  is  that  by  their  long 
idleness  our  workmen  are  losing  their  techni- 
cal skill.  We  are  told  now  that  the  Germans 
are  going  to  send  these  men  to  the  quarries 
and  lime  kilns  of  Germany — fine  places,  in- 
deed, for  skilled  workmen  to  find  employment 
that  will  preserve  their  skilll  "Why  did  the 
Germans  not  leave  Belgian  industry  its  mach- 
inery, its  raw  materials  and  the  manufactured 
products  which  were  sent  to  Germany!  " 

**  Are  there  very  many  Belgians  who  have 
agreed  to  work  for  the  Germans?  "  I  in- 
quired. 

*'  Some  tens  of  thousands,  unfortunately, 
but  they  have  done  so  only  under  the  pressure 


194  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

of  threats,  the  fear  of  hunger.  But  what  is 
that  compared  with  the  400,000  loyal  citizens 
who  have  chosen  poverty  and  dependence  up- 
on the  National  Relief  Committee  rather  than 
betray  the  interests  of  their  unfortunate 
Fatherland? 

"  The  Germans  have  paralized  Belgium — 
not  England.  Who  invaded  our  little  country, 
a  country  that  had  never  done  anyone  evil! 
Germany!  Wlio  inflicted  upon  our  people 
death,  pillage  and  devastation?  Who,  by  cold 
calculation,  gradually  despoiled  us  of  every- 
thing, and  by  the  organization  of  their  econom- 
ic system  absorbs  the  products  of  our  agri- 
culture and  industrial  plants?  Germany! 
These  deportations  are  Germany's  supreme 
injustice.  They  will  result  in  failure  and 
hatred.  Most  of  the  deported  Belgians  refuse 
to  work;  many  of  them  have  had  to  be  sent 
home  because  of  sickness;  many  of  them  have 
died.*' 

**  Is  it  true,"  I  asked,  ''  that  the  invading 
Government  is  deporting  more  than  one  mem- 
ber of  a  family?  " 

**  That,  too,  is  true,  it  grieves  me  to  state. 
As  many  as  four  men  have  been  taken  out  of 


THE  DEPORTxiTIONS  195 

some  of  the  families  I  visited  recently.  When 
they  arrive  in  Germany  they  are  poorly  fed, 
and  you  should  read  the  heart-rending  ap- 
peals that  are  reaching  their  people  here.  The 
same  plea  runs  through  every  message:  'Un- 
less you  send  us  food  you  will  never  see  us 
alive  again!  ' 

"  People  flock  to  me  daily,  asking  for  help. 
Thanks  to  God  and  the  generosity  of  your 
American  people  I  am  provided  with  some 
means  which  I  use  for  this  and  other  charit- 
able purposes.  "Will  you  not  tell  good  Father 
Stillemans,  of  the  Belgian  Bureau,  and  his 
assistant.  Father  Nys,  how  grateful  we 
are  for  the  sums  that  have  been  sent  to  us 
and  how  much  good  we  are  enabled  to  do  with 
them?  Their  establishment  of  the  Fund  which 
bears  my  name,  was  a  veritable  Providence. 
I  am  deeply  indebted  to  all  of  those  who  have 
contributed  to  it." 

*'  I  have  boon  told  by  one  of  your  intimates," 
I  said,  **  that  Your  Eminence  intends  to 
visit  the  United  States  after  the  war.  Is  this 
true?  " 

**  Traveling  does  not  agree  with  me,**  the 
Cardinal  replied,  ''  and  there  will  be  so  much 


196  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

work  here  for  a  long  period  after  the  war  that 
it  was  with  much  reluctance  that  I  consented 
to  the  plan  you  have  mentioned.  Only  the 
repeated  persuasions  and  pleadings  of  my 
friends  have  caused  me  to  make  this  decision. 
I  believe  they  are  right,  that  I  should  go  to 
your  country,  and  personally  express  my 
gratitude  and  appreciation  of  the  immense 
services  rendered  to  Belgium  by  the  people 
of  the  United  States.  They  have  saved  us 
from  material  and  moral  starvation  by  their 
generous  help,  their  efficient  work,  their  con- 
stant encouragement  and  sympathy.  May  the 
good  God  bless  and  protect  their  land." 

Their  methods  of  conducting  deportations 
will  probably  make  the  Germans  hated  by  the 
Belgians  for  generations  to  come. 

I  witnessed  some  of  the  deportations  from 
Gembloux.  All  the  towns  and  hamlets  with- 
in a  radius  of  fifteen  miles  had  been  notified 
that  on  a  certain  day  they  must  send  all 
their  male  inhabitants  between  the  ages  of 
seventeen  and  fifty-five  to  Gembloux,  each 
one  carrying  a  small  bundle  of  food  and 
clothing. 

The  fated  dav  arrives.     The  little   square 


THE  DEPOETATIONS  197 

in  front  of  the  parisli  church  is  crowded 
with  people.  There  are  old  men  and  women 
there,  with  tears  streaming  down  their  with- 
ered faces,  clinging  to  their  sons  as  they  say- 
good-bye  to  them;  women  are  wrapped  in  the 
embrace  of  their  husbands,  and  cry  out  aloud 
as  if  their  hearts  would  break;  then  little 
children  of  both  sexes  group  around  the  par- 
ents, not  understanding  exactly  what  is  the 
matter,  but  realizing  one  thing,  that  the  fa- 
ther is  leaving  them.  The  gold  of  the  setting 
sun  is  dying  out  of  the  waters  of  the  nearby 
canal,  and  the  Angelus  rings  out  its  saluta- 
tion upon  the  open  air.  It  is  time  to  depart. 
There  is  no  way  of  going  to  the  city  except 
on  foot,  so  they  leave  in  small  groups  of 
two,  three  or  half  a  dozen.  In  some  instances 
they  are  accompanied  by  the  younger  women 
or  by  the  elder  children,  who  wish  to  say 
good-bye  to  them  on  the  morrow.  Through- 
out the  entire  night  they  are  joined  by  other 
men  coming  from  scores  of  villages  and 
towns,  going  to  the  same  place  and  for  the 
same  purpose.  There  are  no  noisy  greetings 
exchanged,  only  a  solemn  salutation  now  and 
then. 


198  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

The  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock  the  men 
marked  for  the  deportation  are  lined  up  be- 
for  the  Kommandantur  in  the  station  of  the 
to^vn,  while  the  relatives  are  sent  to  the 
other  end  of  the  square,  which  is  roped  off 
and  guarded  by  soldiers.  As  each  man  pre- 
sents himself,  two  surgeons  standing  at  the 
entrance  size  him  up  cursorily  and  superfici- 
ally. If  he  appears  to  be  ablebodied  and 
strong,  the  command  is  given  *'  Rechts  " — to 
the  right.  If,  instead,  he  looks  weak  or 
sickly,  the  given  order  is  *'  Links  " — to  the 
left,  and  he  passes  into  a  room,  there  to  be 
reexamined  and  possibly  to  receive  his  dis- 
charge to  go  home.  Everytime  that  word 
"  Rechts  "  is  shouted  a  pitiful  cry  comes 
from  the  other  end  of  the  square,  the  cry 
of  a  woman  who  has  seen  her  man,  whoever 
he  may  be,  father,  brother,  husband,  lover, 
disappear  inside  the  station. 

At  two  o'clock  the  loud  whistle  of  an  en- 
gine is  heard.  The  train  is  waiting  for  its 
human  freight.  And  those  people,  who  have 
been  prudent  and  quiet  during  the  morning, 
can  no  longer  be  restrained,  but  they  rush 
through  the  square,  in  spite  of  the  bayonets— 


THE  DEPORTATIONS  199 

some  of  them  are  hurt  in  the  attempt — and 
arriving  at  the  building,  they  run  to  the 
railroad  tracks.  A  cry  of  the  infinite  weari- 
ness of  a  strong  race  suddenly  plunged  from 
the  very  heights  of  prosperity  into  the  depths 
of  abjection  rends  the  air.  The  men  inside 
the  cars  are  straining  their  necks  looking  out 
through  the  open  windows,  trying  to  steal  a 
last  glance  of  their  loved  ones. 

But  their  thoughts  are  not  for  them,  not 
of  them.  Nay,  they  do  not  even  think  of 
themselves.  Their  supreme  thought  and 
greeting  are  for  their  bleeding  and  martyred 
fatherland,  and  louder  than  the  whistle  of 
the  engine  or  the  rumbling  of  the  wheels, 
louder  than  the  guttural  exclamation  of  sol- 
diers and  attendants,  louder  even  than  the 
pitiful  cry  of  the  distracted  relatives,  arises 
the  cry  of  the  victims,  and  it  comes,  as  it 
were,  from  the  very  heart  of  bleeding  Bel- 
gium. And  what  is  that  cry?  *'  Vive  la 
Belgique!  '* 

Nivelles  had  a  male  population  of  4,000. 
Of  this  number  approximately  1,700  were  de- 
ported, and  unquestionable  records  reveal 
that    of   these    but   550    had   been    dependent 


200  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

upon  relief  organizations  for  subsistence. 
The  balance  were  self-supporting  or  else  had 
independent  means.  The  famous  Ateliers 
Metallurgiques  are  located  in  Nivelles,  and 
there  were  many  skilled  workmen  in  the 
neighborhood — coveted  prey  for  the  German 
munition  factories.  All  of  these  workmen 
were  deported,  together  with  many  manufac- 
turers, merchants,  painters,  farmers  and  stu- 
dents. One  student  was  asked  whetlier  he  did 
not  want  to  go  to  the  Flemish  University  in 
Ghent  to  study,  an  institution  conducted  by 
the  Germans,  and  the  professors  of  which 
were  creatures  of  the  Berlin  government.  In 
a  spirit  of  evasion  the  student  answered  that 
he  did  not  know  Flemish,  the  language  of 
the  University,  and  so  he  was  packed  off  to 
Germany.  I  know  of  one  instance  where  a 
father  of  eleven  children  (M.  Gobert,  a  paint- 
er of  Nivelle),  was  deported  together  with 
his  two  eldest  sons. 

The  number  of  men  deported  from  Tubize 
totalled  in  the  neighborhood  of  2,000  souls. 
Braine-l'Allend  lost  800  of  its  male  citizens. 
From  Tirelemont  and  neighborhood  1,500 
men  between  the  ages  of  seventeen  and  fifty- 


THE  DEPORTATIONS  201 

five  were  torn  from  their  homes  and  sent  to 
Germany.     These   figures   are   not   idle    esti- 
mates  but  were   substantiated  by   investiga- 
tion.    As  the  result  of  a  conservative  census 
it  was  established  that,  up  to  the  end  of  De- 
cember, 1916,  150,000  men  were  deported  to 
Germany.     No  fewer  than  20,000  were  taken 
out  of  the  district  of  Ghent  (Flanders)  alone. 
Municipalities    that    refused    to    furnish    the 
military   authorities   with   the   names    of   the 
idle  men  for  the  purpose  of  compiling  lists, 
were  heavily  fined.    In  some  cases  the  Burgo- 
masters  and  Municipal   Councillors   of   these 
towns  suffered  personal  fines   and  imprison- 
ment.    The   city   of  Bruges   was    condemned 
to  a  fine  of  400,000  marks  and  the  Burgo- 
master  was    suspended.      Of    course,   it    was 
to  be  expected  that  the  Germans  would  turn 
these  refusals  of  assistance  to  their  own  pro- 
fit.    Some  German  officials  actually  assumed 
an  air  of  injury  when  they  told  me  that  in 
many  instances  they  had  been  forced  to  de- 
port men   who   were  not   idle,   because   they 
were  not    given    any    assistance    in    locating 
those  men  who  really  were  idle. 

In  a   proposal   as  insulting  as   it   was   im- 


202  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

pudent  some  two  hundred  miners  of  Saint 
Ghislain  were  invited  to  go  to  Germany  to 
work  for  their  enemies.  Their  refusal  was 
unanimous.  They  were  immediately  arrested 
and  shipped  to  Germany,  without  permission 
being  given  them  to  take  leave  of  their  fami- 
lies or  procure  clothing.  When  they  arrived 
in  Germany  they  were  told  that  they  would 
have  to  choose  between  work  and  imprison- 
ment. Again  they  refused  to  labor  for  the 
Hun.  As  a  reward  for  their  patriotism  they 
were  cast  into  jail. 

The  same  noble  spirit  was  displayed  by 
600  workmen  of  Lessines  (Hainaut),  but  the 
punishment  meted  out  to  them  was  infinitely 
more  cruel.  They  were  taken  to  Germany 
to  swell  the  ranks  of  munition  workers,  but 
when  they  arrived  there  they  flatly  refused 
to  accept  the  assignment.  ''  Very  well," 
said  the  German  authorities,  "  then  back  to 
Belgium  you  shall  go."  The  men  were  over- 
joyed at  what  appeared  to  be  their  easy  es- 
cape from  servitude,  but  upon  their  arrival 
in  Belgium  they  were  informed  that  unless 
they  signed  a  contract,  agreeing  to  work  for 
the  Germans  voluntarily,  they  would  not  be 


THE   DEPORTATIONS  203 

allowed  to  return  to  their  homes,  not  even 
for  a  visit.  Again  they  courageously  refused, 
this  time  not  knowing  what  more  frightful 
fate  might  await  them.  They  were  immedi- 
ately divided  into  groups  of  100,  and  sent  to 
the  Western  front  to  work  in  the  trenches. 

It  was  with  the  utmost  recklessness  that 
the  Germans  selected  many  of  their  victims 
for  deportation.  Among  the  people  I  sought 
on  my  first  Belgian  mission  was  a  young 
man,  twenty-four  years  of  age,  whose  father 
was  a  naturalized  American  citizen.  The 
young  man  himself  had  lived  in  America, 
had  suffered  a  paralytic  stroke  as  the  result 
of  a  coal  mine  accident  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
shortly  before  the  war  broke  out  had  gone 
to  Belgium  to  recuperate.  I  was  informed 
by  the  military  authorities  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  obtain  a  passport  for  him  be- 
cause he  was  of  military  age. 

On  my  second  voyage  I  took  him  money. 
On  the  third  trip  I  had  both  messages  and 
money  for  him,  but  when  I  reached  his  aunt's 
home,  where  he  had  been  staying,  I  was  told 
that  he  had  been  deported  to  Germany.  It 
was  not  until  then  that  I  learned  that  in  ad- 


204  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

dition  to  being  paralyzed  he  was  an  epilep- 
tic. I  immediately  went  to  the  Politische 
Abteilung  and  appealed  to  the  authorities 
there,  Baron  von  Lancken,  Mr.  von  Moltke 
and  Baron  Falkenhausen,  to  take  steps  to 
have  him  sent  back  to  Belgium.  They  ap- 
peared anxious  to  aid  me,  and  took  the  matter 
up  at  once  with  the  authorities  in  Berlin. 
For  months  an  active  correspondence  was 
carried  on:  between  officials  in  the  two  coun- 
tries, but  apparently  it  was  very  difficult  to 
obtain  the  young  man's  release.  When  I 
was  about  to  leave  Bruxelles  for  the  last 
time,  which  was  after  America  had  declared 
war,  I  went  to  the  Politische  Abteilung  to 
make  a  final  appeal  in  his  behalf.  The  au- 
thorities showed  me  letters  purporting  to  be 
from  Germany,  in  which  it  was  stated  that 
he  was  soon  to  be  released  and  permitted  to 
return  to  Belgium.  Whether  this  promise 
was  kept  I  do  not  know.  He  may  have 
died  in  Germany.  If  he  did  he  was  one  of 
many  deported  men — heaven  only  knows 
how  many — whose  lives  were  offered  as  a 
sacrifice  to  the  German  god  of  brutality. 
After  the  fall  of  Antwerp  the  German  au- 


THE  DEPORTATIONS  205 

thorities  had  taken  the  most  solemn  engage- 
ments that  no  civilian  should  be  deported  to 
Germany,  this  being  done  in  order  to  per- 
suade those  who  had  fled  to  Holland  to  re- 
turn. Some  of  the  refugees  accepted  these 
promises,  especially  as  they  were  guaranteed 
by  the  Dutch  government,  who  had  taken  some 
sort  of  responsibility  for  them.  They  there- 
fore returned,  and  two  years  later,  in  October 
and  November  1916,  they  were  deported  and 
employed  in  military  work. 

It  was  a  flagrant  violation  of  a  promise 
given  .  .  . 

Yet  another. 

The  Dutch  Government  protested  against 
the  abuse  made  of  its  trust  and  good  will. 

The  German  official  papers  replied  that  the 
engagements  made  in  1914  were  already  two 
years  old!  and,  besides,  circumstances  had 
altered.  In  the  **  Neue  Zuricher  Nachrich- 
ten "  (1st  December  1916),  General  von 
Huene  attempted  to  explain  that  though  he 
had  made  promises  to  safeguard  the  liberty 
of  the  Belgians  who  trusted  to  his  word,  he 
had,  at  the  same  time,  made  mental  reser- 
vations by  which  his  promise  would  not  be 


206  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

binding  in  the  event  of  military  necessity. 
Considerations  of  social  order  and  of  human- 
ity alone  had  induced  him  to  take  such  an 
engagement.  Now  that  military  necessity 
was  above  all  things  important  it  was  no 
longer  valid.  But  the  "  Norddeutsche  All- 
gemeine  Zeitung  "  (December  3rd  1916,  2nd 
edition),  the  organ  of  the  Chancellor,  in  its 
article  on  von  Huene's  explanation,  gives 
quite  another  interpretation.  According  to 
this  paper,  von  Huene  is  no  longer  bound  by 
his  promise  because  the  matter  is  no  longer 
a  military  one,  it  is  now  merely  a  question 
of  social  interest. 

These  contradictions  would  be  almost 
laughable  if  it  were  not  such  a  serious  sub- 
ject. 

In  point  of  fact,  the  promise  to  safeguard 
the  liberty  of  the  Belgians  met  the  same  fate 
as  that  to  safeguard  the  neutrality  of  Bel- 
gium. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Clandestine  Peess  in  Occupied  Belgium. 

In  spite  of  the  sufferings  which  the  Bel- 
gians in  the  occupied  territory  have  to  bear, 
they  preserve  a  spirit  of  patriotism  relieved 
by  a  keen  sense  of  humor  which  has  to  vent 
itself  in  a  cry  of  defiance  or  in  a  laugh  at  the 
invader's  expense. 

The  war  has  furnished  innumerable  oppor- 
tunities to  the  dramatist,  the  poet  or  the  satir- 
ist of  Belgium,  and  these  opportunities  have 
been  seized  through  the  clandestine  publica- 
tions which  find  their  way  from  hand  to  hand 
in  spite  of  every  effort  which  the  Germans  can 
make  for  their  suppression.  The  dignity  of 
tho  exponents  of  kultur  is  outraged  by  this  de- 
fiance, and  the  supreme  ambition  of  the  Ger- 
man secret  service  is  to  discover,  and  bring 
before  a  firing  squad,  those  who  help  to  keep 
alive  a  spirit  of  rebellion  against  the  German 
rulers. 

207 


208 


BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 


The  best  known  and  most  widely  read  of 
these  publications  printed  in  the  occupied  ter- 
ritory is  ''La  Lihre  Belgique/'  of  which  a 
front  page  is  reproduced  in  this  book.  Its 
title,  translated,  is  as  follows: 

"  Price    per    copy:    Elastic,    from    zero    to    the    infinite    (dealers   will 
please   not    exceed   that   limit). 


LA  LIBRE  BELGIQUH. 


I  have  faith   in   our  destinies; 
a    country    which    defends    itself 
earns    the     respect    of    all:     this 
country   does    not   diel    God   will 
be    with    us    in    our   just    cause. 
Albert, 
King    of    the    Belgians. 
(August    4th,    1914.) 
Let  us  accept  temporarily  the 
sacrifices     imposed     on     us,     and 
let     us     wait     patiently     for     the 
hour    of     reparation. 

A.     Max. 


Towards  the  persons  vrho 
rule  by  military  force  our  coun- 
try, let  us  have  the  attentions 
necessary  in  the  interest  of  all. 
L,et  us  respect  the  rules  which 
they  force  on  us  as  long  as 
they  do  not  conflict  with  the 
liberty  of  our  christian  con- 
sciences nor  with  our  patriotic 
dignity. 

Mgr.    Msrcisr. 


Bulletin    of    Patriotic    Propaganda — Regularly    Irregular 
Submitting    To    No    Censor. 


TSI.EGRAPHIC     AoDitSt 

Kommandantur- 

BruxtUtt 


Offices   and 

Manacsubnt. 

Inasmuch  as  they 
can  be  in  no  perfect- 
ly safe  place,  they  are 
located  in  an  automo- 
bile  cellar. 


Advertising. 

Business  being  nil 
under  the  German 
rule,  we  have  omit- 
ted the  advertising 
page,  and  advise  our 
clients  to  keep  their 
money  for  better 
times. 


In  an  early  editorial,  La  Lihre  Belgique  ex- 
plained its  aims  and  purposes  as  follows: 

"  Those  to  whom  this  paper  is  sent  should 
consider  it  as  a  proof  of  the  confidence  the 


THE  CLANDESTINE  PRESS        209 

editors  have  in  their  patriotism  and  discre- 
tion. They  will  kindly  hand  it  to  equally 
trustworthy  friends,  who  will  pass  it  to  others 
without  delay.  In  this  manner  a  necessarily 
small  number  of  copies  will  have  a  consider- 
able influence  upon  public  opinion  in  Belgium. 

*'  Our  sole  object  is  to  strengthen  Belgian 
patriotism  until  the  hour,  as  yet  unknown  but 
certain,  of  the  deliverance  of  our  noble  and 
glorious  little  country,  victim  of  Teutonic 
treachery. 

**  There  is  in  Belgium  a  considerable  ma- 
jority of  citizens  who  are  Belgians  above 
everything  else.  Our  paper  will  very  soon 
have  a  large  circulation. 

*'  La  Lihre  Belgique  will  be  printed  one  day 
in  one  cellar,  the  next  day  in  another. 

'^  La  Lihre  Belgique  will  not  be  like  those 
newspapers  which  are  published  and  widely 
distributed  with  the  permission  and  encour- 
agement of  the  Germans,  and  which  endeavor 
to  discourage  our  patriotism.  No,  ''Jja  Lihre 
Belgique  ''  will  have  its  home  underground 
and  propagate  thence  like  Christianity  from 
the  catacombs. 

*'  It   shall  live  in  spite   of  persecution  be- 


210  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

cause  it  tells  the  truth,  nothing  but  the  truth, 
and  because  there  is  something  stronger  than 
might,  stronger  than  Kultur,  stronger  than 
the  Germans, — the  truth.  And  Belgium  is  the 
land  of  truth  and  liberty;  Germany  is  the 
country  of  might  and  of  false  pride,  mother 
of  lying  and  hypocrisy." 

After  the  defiant  editorials  come  news  of 
the  latest  German  atrocities,  and  such  encour- 
aging news  as  may  have  filtered  over  the 
border  of  the  progress  of  the  Allies  and  of 
the  hopes  for  early  success. 

In  one  number  the  editors  excuse  them- 
selves for  delayed  publication,  and  at  the  same 
time  refer  to  the  constant  irritation  felt  by 
the  Belgians  at  the  use  of  their  street-cars  by 
German  officers  and  men: 

**  A  little  indulgence,  please.  Some  of  our 
readers  have  complained  about  the  unpleasant 
odor  of  some  copies  of  this  paper.  They  will 
kindly  excuse  us,  remembering  that  in  war 
time  one  cannot  always  choose  one's  traveling 
companions.  La  Libre  Belgique  has  been  com- 
pelled to  voyage  with  sour  herrings,  Lim- 
burger  cheese  and  calcium  carbide.  We  beg 
our  readers  to  have  the  same  indulgence  for 


THE  CLANDESTINE  PRESS        211 

La  Libre  Belgique  which  they  are  temporarily 
forced  to  show  towards  certain  passengers  on 
the  street  cars. 

"  The  present  number  is  being  issued  late. 
The  reason  is  that  we  had  to  reprint  a  second 
edition.  La  Libre  Belgique  met  the  enemy  and 
had  to  dive  into  the  water.  While  trying  to 
escape  by  swimming,  it  was  drowned. 

Requiescat  in  pace!  " 

In  August,  1917,  on  the  third  anniversary 
of  the  war.  La  Libre  Belgique  published  the 
following  editorial: 

After  Three  Years! 

''A  statement,  oh!  very  brief  .  .  . 

On  August  4th,  1914,  Germania  goes  to  war. 
The  plan  is  simple:  Belgium  does  not  count, 
Paris  taken  in  six  weeks,  Russia  crushed  be- 
fore winter,  England  remaining  alone,  too  in- 
telligent not  to  realize  that  nothing  remains 
but  to  capitulate. 

WE  knocked  dowm  that  castle  of  cards! 
WE!  Later,  one  decided  to  seize  Calais,  to 
cross  into  England,   etc. 


212  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

There  was  the  YSER!     WE  again! 

The  ZeppeKns  were  to  destroy  London; 
London  has  suffered  little;  the  reputation  of 
the  Zeppelins  has  suffered  much.  Meanwhile 
one  tried  to  finish  off  Russia,  in  a  military 
way  at  first,  without  success.  One  made  at- 
tempts in  the  Balkans,  one  was  crushed  at 
Verdun,  all  in  vain.  And  meanwhile  the  Ger- 
man people  suffered  terribly,  the  new  chan- 
cellor has  admitted  it. 

They  are  throwing  in  their  last  stake:  the 
submarines!  And  now  in  Germany  itself  one 
acknowledges  that  this  last  weapon  is  use- 
less. ...  Is  it  then  the  end?  Yes,  it  is  the 
end.  Already  one  is  attempting  friendly  ad- 
vances: one  desires  no  conquest,  one  wishes 
only  the  right  to  live,  etc. 

Let  us  be  calm,  we  are  in  no  hurry  at  all, 
WE,  THE  ALLIES.  Since  America  has  en- 
tered the  arena,  in  good  time  to  make  up  for 
the  Russian  weakening,  the  account  of  the 
Central  Empires  is  settled.  A  little  while 
longer,  and  they  will  be  begging  for  peace.  Of 
course,  another  winter  would  be  especially 
hard  for  us.  But  in  view  of  the  unique  im- 
portance of  the  contest  we  wish,  we,  the  Bel- 


THE  CLANDESTINE  PRESS        213 

gians,  to  suffer  still  more  if  necessary  to  let 
Right  and  Justice  triumph  more  completely, 
more  gloriously. 

Let  the  Allies  know  it:  We  do  not  ask  that 
any  thought  of  our  suffering  should  hasten 
peace  hy  a  single  day!  The  future  of  Europe, 
the  safety  of  the  world,  the  necessary  punish- 
ment of  a  crime  against  humanity  are  more 
important." 

Is  it  not  admirable,  that  cry  of  a  suffering, 
starving  people  who  ask  to  go  on  suffering 
and  dying  rather  than  to  see  a  premature 
peace?  And  what  a  lesson  to  the  sleek,  hypo- 
critical and  selfish  pacifists  of  the  lands  un- 
touched by  war  I 

La  Lihre  Belgique  is  only  one  of  several 
patriotic  sheets  published  clandestinely  by 
Belgian  patriots;  others  are  Motus,  La  Revue 
Hehdomadaire,  Patrie,  Vefife,  VlaamscJie 
Leeuw  (in  Dutch),  L'Ame  Beige,  etc.  The 
purpose  of  all  centres  around  the  same  love  of 
country,  of  law  and  of  liberty. 

One  of  the  clandestine  papers  in  Flemish  is 
De  Vrije  Stem,  which  calls  itself:  Belgian 
organ  for  the  province  of  Antiverp,  puhllslwd 
during   the  German  occupation: — Offices  and 


214  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

Editorial  Department:  ^'  Hotel  des  Patriot es," 
42  Rue  des  Beguines.  This  address  is  the 
nickname  and  location  of  the  prison  into  tlie 
cells  of  which  have  been  thrown  a  great  many 
Belgians  arrested  for  the  crime  of  patriotism. 
Besides  these  various  papers  published 
necessarily  with  "  regular  irregularity,"  in- 
numerable pamphlets  are  secretly  printed  and 
mysteriously  dropped  into  letter-boxes,  slipped 
under  front-doors  and  forwarded  boldly  to 
the  German  governor  himself.  One  of  these 
contains  the  following  appeal: 

''COURAGE  I 

"Belgians,  your  dignified  attitude,  your 
superb  protests  have  at  last  aroused  neutrals. 
If  the  foreign  press  has  not  reached  us  for 
several  weeks,  it  is  because  of  its  unanimity  in 
protesting  against  the  cruel  wrong  done  to 
your  liberty  by  the  occupying  power.  Con- 
tinue to  show  to  the  world  the  examjDle  of  a 
country  small  in  size,  but  groat  in  spirit  and 
in  the  endless  courage  of  its  children. 

"Crushed  under  the  heel  of  a  brutal  ag- 
gressor, you  must  continue  to  oppose  Right  to 


THE  CLANDESTINE  PRESS        215 

Might.  This  attitude  will  win  for  you  the 
sympathies  of  every  noble  heart  and  the  ad- 
miration of  history. 

"  Let  no  one  take  any  share,  direct  or  in- 
direct, in  the  crime  of  the  Teuton. 


Passive  Resistance 

in  all  and  always,  such  must  be  your  watch- 
word I 


Long  Live  Belgium. 
Please  copy  and  circulate  this  leaflet. 

Besides  the  papers  and  leaflets  clandestinely 
printed  in  occupied  Belgium  itself,  there  is 
secret  distribution  of  papers  or  circulars 
dropped  for  that  purpose  by  allied  aviators. 
The  purpose  of  these  is  generally  to  bring  en- 
couragement and  to  counteract  the  deceiving 
German  propaganda;  sometimes  it  is  to  give 
warning  of  impending  danger.  I  have  seen 
the  following  circular  dropped  over  Mons  and 
suburbs : 


216  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

"  Department  of  Aviation,  No.  2539, 
Section  of  Bombardment  &  Information, 

IVth  Escadrille  A.  R.  P. 

''Fearing  to  make  numerous  victims  among 
the  civilian  population  in  the  occupied  terri- 
tories, the  Allies  have  carefully  abstained  until 
now  from  bombarding  important  buildings, 
even  those  of  greatest  value  to  the  enemy  and 
purposely  selected  by  him  for  their  location  in 
the  midst  of  populous  parts  of  occupied  ter- 
ritory. 

**  Positive  assurance  has,  however,  reached 
the  Allied  General  Staff  that  the  number  of 
Belgian  workmen  selling  their  labor  to  the 
enemy  is  constantly  increasing.  This  gives 
the  enemy  great  assistance  by  releasing  an 
equal  number  of  soldiers  for  the  front,  and 
the  Allied  nations  have,  therefore,  unani- 
mously decided  that  they  will  not  be  swerved 
in  the  future  by  considerations  of  humanity 
or  sentiment.  Whoever  sells  his  services  to  his 
own  country's  enemy,  whoever  supplies  him 
with  money,  must  be  considered  in  accord- 
ance with  existing  law  as  a  traitor  to  be  dealt 
with  accordingly. 


THE  CLANDESTINE  PRESS        217 

"  In  consequence,  the  allied  fleet  has  re- 
ceived orders  to  act  unsparingly,  beginning 
August  1st,  against  all  railways  and  places 
offering  any  advantage  to  the  enemy.  The 
Commander  of  Aviation  intends  to  destroy 
by  means  of  heavy  bombs  all  railways,  sta- 
tions, trains,  workshops,  dock-yards,  mills, 
factories,  etc.,  now  being  used  by  the  enemy. 

"  A  last  appeal  is  made  to  the  patriotism 
of  all  Belgians  worthy  of  the  name,  so  that  in 
the  interest  of  their  o^vn  lives  they  abstain 
from  working  for  the  enemy,  and  from  making 
use  of  the  railways  operated  by  him." 

Allied  and  neutral  papers  are  smuggled  into 
Belgium  and  discreetly  sold  to  always  eager 
buyers.  One  night,  I  remember,  I  was  sitting 
in  a  Bruxelles  cafe,  discussing  with  a  friend 
the  plans  which  he  had  made  for  escape  into 
Holland,  from  whence  he  hoped  to  proceed  to 
the  Belgian  front  and  join  the  ranks  of  his 
countrj^'s  defenders.  It  was  late  at  night,  and 
only  a  few  persons  were  in  the  place.  A  tall, 
emaciated  youth  entered  the  cafe,  glanced 
about  cautiously,  caught  the  eye  of  the  head 
waiter  and  received  a  nod  of  encouragement. 


218  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

He  then  approached  our  table  and  ostersibly 
asked  for  alms.  While  he  was  doing  tMs  he 
slipped  copies  of  La  Libre  Belgique,  the  Lon- 
don Times  and  Le  Matin  beneath  our  table- 
cloth. 

**  There  is  good  news  in  these,"  he  whis- 
pered. ''Would  you  like  to  read  them  or  rent 
them?  " 

*'  What  is  the  charge?  "  I  asked. 

''  Twelve  francs  if  you  want  to  take  them 
into  the  gentlemen's  retiring  room  for  a  few 
minutes  or  fifty  francs  if  you  want  to  take 
them  home.  If  you  want  to  take  them  home  I 
will  call  for  them  tomorrow  morning." 

We  elected  to  take  the  periodicals  into  the 
retiring  room  and  when  we  repaired  there  we 
found  that  they  announced  America's  declara- 
tion of  war  against  Germany.  My  friend  was 
jubilant. 

*'I  am  more  determined  than  ever  to  make 
my  escape  into  Holland,"  he  said.  "  This 
means  that  we  are  nearing  the  end,  and  I  must 
do  my  duty  before  it  is  too  late." 

A  little  later  we  bade  each  other  good- 
bye. That  was  the  last  I  saw  of  my  courage- 
ous friend.    I  made  repeated  inquiries  in  Hoi- 


THE  CLANDESTINE  PRESS        219 

land,  but  I  failed  to  locate  him.  Either  he 
reached  King  Albert's  heroic  little  army,  or 
else  his  charred  form  was  found  under  the 
murderous  entanglements  of  the  frontier. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Flemish  And  Waij^oons. 

**  '  Flemish  '  and  *  Walloon  '  are  only 
Christian  names.  *  Belgian  '  is  our  family 
name.'*    — Ant.  Clesse. 

Belgium  has  no  common  tongue.  The  north- 
ern part  of  the  country  is  occupied  by  the 
Flemish  who  speak  a  Germanic  language;  in 
the  southern  provinces  live  the  Walloons 
whose  language  is  French.  The  natural  re- 
sult had  always  been  a  friendly  rivalry  be- 
tween the  two  parts  of  the  country,  but  it  had 
never  threatened  the  existence  of  the  nation. 

The  possibility,  however,  of  dividing  the 
Belgians  in  order  to  more  easily  rule  them  ap- 
pealed to  German  ingenuity. 

During  the  first  few  months  of  the  invasion 
the  official  notices  of  the  military  authorities 
were  printed  in  French  and  German.  Corres- 
pondence was  not  allowed  save  when  written  in 

220 


FLEMISH  AND  WALLOONS        221 

French  or  German.  Flemish  was  prohibited. 
Then,  the  Germans,  scenting  possibilities  of 
creating  trouble  between  the  North  and  South, 
began  to  print  their  orders  in  German,  French 
and  Flemish.  Shortly  afterward  French  dis- 
appeared from  the  official  comuniques,  and 
Flemish  took  its  place.  German  newspapers 
began  to  exhibit  solicitude  for  their  **  Flemish 
brothers."  Motion  picture  theatres  were  or- 
dered to  publish  their  programmes  in  Flemish 
as  well  as  French.  Shopkeepers  were  com- 
manded to  take  down  their  French  signs  and 
replace  them  with  placards  printed  in  Flemish. 
The  German  press  bubbled  over  with  allus- 
ions to  the  natural  affinity  between  the  Flem- 
ish and  the  Germans.  Article  after  article  was 
published  citing  the  natural  bonds  of  history, 
language,  origin  and  customs  that  united  the 
two  races.  In  a  trial  at  Tongres  a  group  of 
Flemish  and  Walloons  were  accused  of  the 
same  offense.  The  Flemish  got  off  much  easier 
than  the  Walloons;  thus  two  purposes  were 
served  at  the  same  time.  The  Flemish  were 
being  **  coaxed  *'  into  favoritism  for  their 
oppressors,  and  the  Walloons  were  being  "per- 
suaded "   to   suspect   and  hate   the   Flemish. 


222  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

Could  duplicity  go  further? 

Of  course  the  cost  of  this  propaganda  was 
exacted  from  the  Belgians.  Germany  had  no 
intention  of  spending  any  of  her  own  money 
to  accomplish  her  purpose.  By  decree  of  the 
military  authorities,  Flanders  and  Wallonie 
were  split  up  into  two  countries,  with  separate 
administrations  and  educational  departments 
for  each.  Seven  millions  of  Belgian  money 
was  requisitioned  for  this  division,  and  two 
millions  were  exacted  for  the  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing the  University  of  Ghent. 

This  university  was  heralded  as  the  first 
step  to  be  made  toward  the  emancipation  of 
the  Flemish  people  from  the  so-called  yoke  of 
their  French  brothers.  Professors  were  re- 
cruited from  a  small  body  of  traitorous  Flem- 
ish, from  Holland  and  from  Germany.  Stu- 
dents were  offered  all  sorts  of  inducements — 
monetary  assistance,  white  bread,  other  food 
which  the  rest  of  the  people  could  not  procure. 

Up  to  the  time  America  declared  war,  the 
Flemish  University  had  proved  a  fiasco;  it 
boasted  of  but  four  students  to  each  profess- 
or I  So  much  for  that  attempt  to  annihilate 
the  spirit  of  Belgian  patriotism. 


FLEMISH  AND  WALLOONS        223 

These  insidious  efforts  at  spreading  dis- 
cord among  the  Belgians  were  exposed  merci- 
lessly in  the  clandestine  press. 

A  copy  of  the  '*  Revue  Hebdomadaire  " 
writes  as  follows  about  the  Flemish  Univers- 
ity: 

"  Among  the  thirty-five  students  there  are 
only  two  from  Ghent.  Of  the  others,  the 
greater  number  are  peasants  from  the  region 
of  Waes:  In  the  beginning  the  number  was 
much  smaller  still,  but  threats  of  deporta- 
tion have  brought  a  few  of  the  cowardly  ele- 
ment. 

*'  These  students  greet  with  deference  the 
German  officers.  They  wear  velvet  caps  with 
white,  blue,  orange,  and  red  ribbons,  and  they 
all  carry  clubs  as  a  necessary  means  of  de- 
fence against  a  population  which  scorns  them 
openly.  The  old  servants  of  the  University 
have  refused  to  work  for  these  students,  pre- 
ferring to  starve  rather  than  serve  the  rene- 
gades." 

As  recently  as  January  1917  the  German 
press  was  weeping  crooodile  tears  over  the  fate 
of   their   Flemish   brethren.      The    KREUTZ- 


224  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

ZEITUNG  of  that  time  published  the  follow- 
ing morsel: 

**  To  the  Flemish  population,  ill  treated  by 
its  own  Government,  we  are  as  a  big  brother 
defending  his  junior. 

**  Now  that  we  have  given  them  the  Univer- 
sity of  Ghent  we  cannot  abandon  them  again. 
Furthermore,  we  need  Belgium  in  our  war 
against  England.  The  longer  our  fight  against 
England  remains  undecided,  the  more  we  must 
protect  ourselves  against  her.  Naturally  we 
will  keep  Antwerp  and  the  whole  Flemish 
coast,  and  for  at  least  twenty  years  Belgium 
must  pay  to  Germany  a  sum  of  money  equi- 
valent to  what  she  would  spend  on  her  army 
and  navy  while  she  enjoys  the  protection  of 
Germany.  The  separation  between  Flemish 
and  "Walloons  must  be  complete.  Flanders  on 
one  side,  and  the  state  of  Namur  on  the  other, 
will  constitute  two  great  principalities  ruled 
by  German  princes,  the  Hohenlohe  family  for 
instance.  "We  will  thus  avoid  unconditional 
annexation  and  all  the  intricacies  of  repre- 
sentation in  the  Reichstag. 

**  The  State  of  Namur  shall  be  reduced  as 
much  as  possible  to  the  benefit  of  Flanders 


FLE^[ISH  AND  WALLOONS        225 

and  Luxemburg,  and  there  shall  be  added  to 
it  territory  from  Northern  France.  Ownership 
of  the  French  mines  is  a  vital  question  for  us, 
as  demonstrated  by  the  war.  Belgium  is  for 
us  not  only  the  milch  cow  bringing  all  the 
prizes  that  peace  will  give  us;  to  all  of  us,  to 
every  man  in  the  trenches,  she  is  a  symbol  of 
our  victories.  Not  one  German  will  give  her 
up.'» 

How  Belgium  was  viewed  at  the  same  time 
by  a  mind  not  saturated  with  Germanic  vanity 
is  shown  by  a  correspondent  of  the  NIEUWE 
COURANT,  who  wrote,  after  a  tour  of 
Belgium : 

"  I  have  seen  for  the  first  time  a  people 
whose  land  is  occupied,  but  whose  spirit  and 
heart  are  in  no  manner  subdued.  The  abyss 
between  victor  and  vanquished  is  still  as 
deep,  if  not  deeper,  as  in  the  beginning  of 
the  war.  Walloons  and  Flemish  know  how 
to  enjoy  life,  but  they  also  know  how  to  suf- 
fer. They  make  a  strong  people,  a  people 
that  knows  how  to  hate  as  no  other.  Those 
who  in  Germany  dream  of  a  German  Bel- 
gium, be  they  correspondents  of  the  Tages- 
zeitung  or  members  of  an  annexationist  gang, 


226  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

dream  of  a  peace  with  accompaniment  .  .  . 
of  machine-guns.  An  army  occupies  Bel- 
gium, but  it  is  certain  that  the  Belgian  peo- 
ple remain  unconquered. " 

Another  form  of  murder  attempted  by  the 
Hun  in  Belgium,  a  form  none  the  less  re- 
volting because  it  chose  the  spirit  rather 
than  the  bodj^  for  its  victim,  was  the  annihi- 
lation of  the  common  bond  of  patriotism 
which  held  all  Belgians  in  their  loyalty  to 
their  King.  The  first  effort  of  the  German 
to  this  end  was  in  the  spreading  of  reports 
that  King  Albert  was  anxious  to  conclude 
peace  with  Berlin,  but  could  not  do  so  be- 
cause of  England.  But  even  efficient  Ger- 
many is  not  always  consistent,  and  where 
one  German  officer  would  vow  that  Albert 
had  sold  his  soul  to  England  another  would 
declare  to  me  that  Belgium's  King  had  re- 
fused Germany's  prof  erred  hand  because  he 
was  blind  with  pride!  The  spreading  of  such 
reports,  I  learned,  was  not  confined  to  Bel- 
gium alone  but  extended  into  Germany  itself. 
On  November  15,  1914,  the  Vossische  Zei- 
tung  printed  this  despatch: 

**  From    Bruxelles    the    Hamburger    Nach- 


FLEMISH  AND  WALLOONS   227 

richten  hears  through  a  very  reliable  source 
that  the  report  is  confirmed  of  serious  dif- 
ferences between  Belgium  and  England) — 
that  is,  that  all  personal  relations  are  inter- 
rupted between  King  Albert  and  the  British 
Staff.  The  King  desires  an  understanding 
with  Germany,  which  Great  Britain  is  en- 
deavoring by  all  means  to  prevent." 

Here  we  have  Hun  inconsistency  blossom- 
ing from  a  tricolor  bud.  Belgium's  King 
cannot  make  peace  because  he  is  in  Eng- 
land's grasp;  he  will  not  make  peace  because 
of  blind  egotism,  he  wants  to  make  peace 
because   he   has   quarreled  with   England. 

All  efforts  to  discredit  King  Albert  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Belgians  have  miserably  failed. 
It  was  in  Bruxelles  that  I  heard  these  words: 
*'  There  is  only  one  King  in  the  world  today 
worthy  of  the  name."  Spoken  by  a  Belgian 
Socialist  Deputy  they  measured  for  me,  in  a 
flash,  the  loyalty  and  admiration  which  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  Belgian  population  en- 
tertains for  Albert  I. 

Nothing  will  ever  appeal  more  strongly 
to  the  imagination  of  the  average  Belgian 
than   the   spectacle   of  his   King  leading  the 


228  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

heroic  Belgian  army  on  the  banks  of  the 
Yser.  The  eyes  of  those  in  exile,  longing 
ardently  for  their  return  to  the  Fatherland, 
and  the  tear-dimmed,  tired  eyes  of  the  mil- 
lions groaning  under  the  yoke  of  a  ruthless 
foe  turn  constantly  to  the  stalwart  figure  of 
the  royal  soldier  sharing  daily  dangers  and 
privations  with  his  men  in  the  trenches. 

The  praise  of  my  Socialist  Deputy  friend 
for  his  King  had  been  invoked  by  a  question 
concerning  the  royal  palace  in  Bruxelles. 
But  in  discussing  Belgium  he  had  but  one 
thought,  his  love  for  his  country  and  his  ad- 
miration for  Albert  I.  I  shall  never  forget 
his  expression  as  he  leaned  across  the  table 
where  we  were  sitting  in  a  Bruxelles  res- 
taurant. He  was  a  young  man,  with  long 
flowing  beard,  full  of  the  intense  enthusiasm 
that  characterizes  the  Socialist  zealot. 

**  Albert  may  have  lost  his  kingdom  and 
his  crown,"  he  said  in  low,  earnest  tones, 
*'  but  he  still  dominates  the  hearts  of  his 
subjects  absolutely.  What  other  ruler  can 
boast  of  swaying  the  hearts  of  millions  as  he 
does?  These  hated  Germans  may  rob  us  of 
everything  else  but  they  are  powerless  when 


FLEMISH  AND  WALLOONS        229 

it  comes  to  tampering  with  our  affections 
for  our  King  and  country. 

**  Albert  the  First,  King  of  the  Belgians! 
His  people  will  never  forget  his  attitude  in 
face  of  the  German  ultimatum;  his  quiet, 
dignified,  yet  firm  demeanor  when  he  ap- 
peared before  the  parliament  to  deliver  his 
epoch-making  speech.  That  was  on  August 
4th,  1914;  we  were  gathered  in  session  ex- 
traordinary. The  speech  which  His  Majesty 
then  made  will  remain  forever  an  example 
of  dignity  and  courage.  I  have  kept  a  copy 
of  it,  and  read  it  again  whenever  I  feel  a 
tendency  to  discouragement." 

And  my  friend  handed  me  a  copy  of  this 
speech,  which  deserves  to  be  printed  again: 

**  Never  since  1830  has  a  more  grave  mom- 
ent come  to  Belgium:  the  integrity  of  our 
territory  is  threatened. 

"  The  strength  of  our  just  cause,  the 
sympathy  which  Belgium,  proud  of  her  free 
insitutions,  and  of  her  moral  conquests,  has 
never  ceased  to  enjoy  at  the  hands  of  other 
nations,  the  fact  that  our  independent  ex- 
istence is  necessary  for  the  balance  of  power 


230  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

in  Europe,  these  considerations  give  rise  to 
hope  that  the  events  which  we  fear  will  not 
take  place. 

*  *  But  if  our  hopes  fail,  if  we  must  re- 
sist the  invasion  of  our  soil  and  must  de- 
fend our  threatened  homes,  this  duty,  hard 
though  it  be,  will  find  us  ordered  and  pre- 
pared for  the  greatest  sacrifices  (cheers  and 
cries  of  * '  Long  Live  the  King !  Long  live^ 
Belgium  I). 

**  From  this  moment,  with  a  view  to  meet 
every  contingency,  the  valiant  youth  of  our 
nation  stand  ready,  firmly  resolved  with,  the 
traditional  tenacity  and  calmness  of  the  Bel- 
gians to  defend  their  fatherland  at  a  mom- 
ent of  danger  (cheers). 

'*  To  them  I  send  a  brotherly  greeting  in 
the  name  of  the  nation  (cheers  and  cries  of 
Long  Live  the  Army!).  Througout  Flan- 
ders and  the  region  of  Wallonie,  in  town 
and  country  one  sentiment  alone  fills  every 
heart — ^patriotism;  one  vision  alone  fills 
every  mind — our  threatened  independence. 
One  duty  alone  is  laid  upon  our  wills,  stub- 
born resistance  (cheers). 

"  At   this   grave    moment   two   virtues    are 


FLEMISH  AND  WALLOONS   231 

indispensable — courage,  calm  (renewed  cheers) 
but  firm,  and  close  union  among  all  Belgians. 

**  Striking  evidence  of  both  these  virtues 
is  already  before  the  eyes  of  a  nation  full 
of  enthusiasm. 

**  The  faultless  mobilization  of  our  army, 
the  multitude  of  volunteers,  the  devotion  of 
the  civil  population,  the  self-sacrifice  of 
families  have  sho-vvn  incontestablj^  that  the 
whole  Belgian  people  is  carried  away  by 
stimulating  courage  (applause).  The  mom- 
ent has  come  to  act. 

**  I  have  called  you  together,  gentlemen, 
to  give  to  the  Legislative  Chambers  an  op- 
portunity to  associate  themselves  with  the 
impulses  of  the  people  in  the  same  sentiment 
of  sacrifice.  Gentlemen,  you  will  know  how 
to  deal  urgently  with  all  the  measures  which 
the  situation  requires  for  the  war  and  for 
public  order   (general  assent). 

*'  "When  I  see  this  enthusiastic  gathering 
in  which  there  is  only  one  party,  that  of  the 
fatherland  (enthusiastic  cheers  and  cries  of 
"Long  Live  Belgium"),  in  which  at  this  mo- 
ment all  hearts  beat  as  one,  my  mind  goes 
back  to  the  Congress  of  1830,  and  I  ask  of 


232  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

you  gentlemen,  are  you  determined  unswerv- 
ingly to  maintain  intact  the  whole  patrimony 
of  our  ancestors?  (Yes,  yes,  from  every 
side.) 

"  No  one  in  the  country  will  fail  in  his 
duty. 

**  The  army,  strong  and  disciplined,  is  fit 
to  do  this  task:  my  Government  and  I  have 
full  confidence  in  its  leaders  and  its  soldiers. 

**  The  Government,  firmly  attached  to  the 
populace  and  supported  by  them,  is  conscious 
of  its  responsibilities,  and  will  bear  them  to 
the  end  with  the  deliberate  conviction  that 
the  efforts  of  all  united  in  the  most  fervent 
and  generous  patriotism  will  safeguard  the 
supreme  good  of  the  country. 

''  If  the  foreigner,  disregarding  the  neu- 
trality whose  every  duty  we  have  always 
scrupulously  observed  should  violate  our  ter- 
ritory, he  will  find  all  Belgians  grouped 
around  their  sovereign  who  will  never  be- 
tray his  coronation  oath,  and  around  a  Gov- 
ernment possessing  the  absolute  confidence  of 
the  entire  nation.  (Cheers  on  all  the  Bench- 
es). 

*' I  have  faith  in  our  destiny:   a   country 


FLEMISH  AND  WALLOONS    233 

which  defends  itself  commands  the  respect 
of  all;  such  a  country  shall  never  perish. 
(''Hear,  hear.  Long  live  the  King,  long  live 
Belgium.*') 

"  God  will  be  with  us  in  this  just  cause 
(fresh  applause). 

*'  Long  live  independent  Belgium "  (long 
and  unanimous  cheers  from  the  Assembly 
and  from  the  Galleries). 

The  glory  of  Albert  I,  King  of  the  Bel- 
gians, can  never  be  dinmaed  by  the  subjects 
of  Wilhelm  II,  emperor  of  Germany.  The 
former  has  shown  himself  as  much  of  a 
glorious  leader  as  the  latter  has  sho^vn  him- 
self some  vile  thing  to  be  cursed  by  all  man- 
kind for  generations  to  come. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

America  Declares  War. 

It  is  now  commonplace  to  say  that  the  Ger- 
man mind  is  capable  of  the  most  astounding 
gymnastics,  yet  I  was  constantly  bewildered 
by  the  agility  with  which  it  could  evade  logic 
when  applied  to  the  Fatherland. 

For  example,  German  officers  declared  to  me 
time  and  again  in  Belgium  that  America's 
neutrality  would  remain  a  shallow  mockery 
so  long  as  she  continued  to  supply  munitions 
to  the  Allies. 

'*  But,  suppose  it  were  possible  for  us  to 
ship  munitions  to  Germany,"  I  would  invari- 
ably say,  '*  Would  that  be  unneutral?  " 

*'  Oh,  no,"  was  the  answer.  "  We  are  fight- 
ing for  a  just  cause  and  that  would  be  entirely 
legitimate." 

But,  if  I  am  to  give  the  Hun  his  dues  I 
must  say  that  most  of  the  German  officers  with 

234 


AMEEICA  DECLAEES  WAR        235 

whom  I  came  in  contact  seemed  to  be  anxious 
to  spare  my  feelings,  to  avoid  any  sucli  dis- 
cussion involving  American  policy.  Upon  only 
one  occassion  did  any  of  my  acquaintances 
among  the  military  authorities  forget  them- 
selves in  this  respect. 

I  had  invited  two  officers  to  have  dinner 
with  me  at  the  Palace  Hotel  in  Bruxelles. 
They  had  been  very  kind  in  making  it  easy  for 
me  to  discharge  some  of  the  duties  connected 
with  my  mission,  and  I  was  desirous  of  show- 
ing my  appreciation  of  their  efforts  in  my  be- 
half. To  be  quite  candid,  I  wanted  particu- 
larly to  install  myself  in  their  good  graces 
because  I  was  on  the  eve  of  asking  for  some 
very  special  concessions.  We  had  no  sooner 
seated  ourselves  at  the  table  than  one  of  my 
guests  raised  a  glass  of  wine  to  his  lips  and 
said  with  a  rather  sardonic  smile:  *'  Here  is 
to  Kitchener's  fate  as  well  as  to  the  fate  of 
all  of  our  enemies." 

*' Kitchener's  fate!"  **  I  exjolaimed  in 
astonishment.     ''  What  do  you  mean?  " 

The  world  had  not  yet  learned  of  the  catas- 
trophe that  had  claimed  the  great  K  of  K  as 
its  victim,  not  even  Holland,  as  I  ascertained 


236  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

later  by  comparing  dates.  I  presume  that 
England  had  kept  the  news  quiet,  fearing  Its 
effect  upon  the  public  mind.  According  to 
subsequent  admissions  of  my  guests,  which 
I  wrung  from  their  rather  reluctant  lips,  they 
themselves  had  only  learned  the  facts  half  an 
hour  before  joining  me. 

I  tried  to  smile  at  the  officer's  toast,  but  it 
was  a  guilty,  sickly  smile,  which  developed 
into  a  frown  of  protest.  My  guests  evidently 
suspected  the  course  of  my  thought  and  apol- 
igized  for  their  thoughtlessness,  but  their  apol- 
ogies were  not  made  because  I  was  an  Amer- 
ican but  because  I  was  a  Christian  minister. 
During  the  entire  evening  the  hilarity  of  the 
offlcers  assembled  in  the  Palace  dining  room 
was  most  irrepressible.  They  were  besides 
themselves  with  joy  at  the  news. 

Many  times  as  I  traveled  back  and  forth 
between  Holland  and  the  United  States  I 
heard  the  rumor  that  Kitchener  was  alive  and 
in  a  German  prison.  I  repeated  this  rumor  to 
one  of  the  officers  I  have  referred  to,  and 
asked  him  bluntly  whether  there  was  any  truth 
in  it. 

**  Absurd,  "   he   laughed.     "  That   is   noth- 


AMERICA  DECLARES  WAR        237 

ing  but  a  stupid  English  joke.  Kitchener 
alive  would  be  a  far  greater  trophy  for  Ger- 
many than  a  Kitchener  whose  body  cannot 
even   be   located!  " 

Although  I  had,  with  a  few  exceptions,  been 
well  treated  by  the  military  authorities  in 
Belgium,  I  must  confess  that  I  entertained 
misgivings  when  America  declared  war.  No 
one  seemed  to  know  whether  all  Americans 
were  to  be  interned  or  whether  they  would  be 
allowed  to  depart,  but  my  military  acquaint- 
ances were  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  no 
American  would  be  permitted  to  remain  in 
Belgium. 

I  was  in  Bruxelles  on  the  day  word  was  re- 
ceived of  America's  declaration.  One  by  one 
the  American  flags  were  lowered,  and  a  feel- 
ing of  gloom  settled  over  the  city.  At  first  the 
Belgians  were  fearful  that  even  the  last  mor- 
sel of  bread  was  to  be  taken  away  from  them. 
Later  it  was  seen  and  realized  how  vitally  im- 
portant was  the  step  taken  by  the  United 
States,  and  all  selfish  consideration  and  fears 
vanished  in  the  light  of  the  greater  good  to 
be    accomplished    by    America's    intervention. 

When    Minister    Brand    Whitlock    and    his 


238  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

family  left  Bruxelles,  crowds  gathered  at  the 
depot,  offering  them  flowers  and  weeping  sil- 
ently. The  tribute  was  not  meant  for  Mr. 
Whitlock  alone — though  all  Belgians  held 
him  in  high  esteem,  it  was  meant  for  all  Amer- 
icans. The  Belgians  realized  full  well  that  they 
were  facing  a  discontinuance  of  America's 
relief  work,  an  undertaking  that  had  kept  them 
alive,  but  they  were  brave  even  in  the  face  of 
unknown  additional  adversity. 

Mr.  Whitlock  had  advised  me  to  leave  Bel- 
gium at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  Ameri- 
can relief  workers  departed  as  soon  as  they 
could  arrange  their  affairs.  Some  of  them 
who  had  labored  in  Flanders  were  held  in 
Bruxelles  for  several  weeks  so  that  they  would 
not  be  able  to  report  recent  military  opera- 
tions when  they  returned  home.  I  remained 
longer  than  anyone  else,  expecting  to  bring 
out  a  crowd  of  four  hundred  Belgians  whom 
I  had  located  since  my  previous  journey  to  the 
United  States.  But  the  military  authorities 
would  not  hear  of  it. 

When  every  other  avenue  of  appeal  had  been 
explored  without  success  I  appealed  directly 
to  Mr.  Zimmerman,  by  letter.    I  portrayed,  as 


AMERICA  DECLARES  WAR        239 

eloquently  as  I  knew  how,  the  plight  of  my 
poor  charges.  I  pomted  out  that  applications 
had  been  made  for  their  passports  before 
America's  declaration  of  war,  even  before  she 
had  severed  diplomatic  relations  with  Ger- 
many, that  they  had  sold  what  little  property 
they  possessed  and  were  eagerly  waiting  to 
leave.  I  pictured  their  dismay  at  not  hearing 
from  me  as  I  had  told  them  they  would;  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  communicate  with  them 
as  I  had  promised. 

Two  weeks  after  writing  to  Mr.  Zimmerman 
I  received  a  summons  to  report  at  the  Pass 
Bureau  in  Bruxelles,  where  I  was  informed 
that  the  coveted  permission  had  been  granted. 
I  then  begged  permission  to  communicate  Avith 
the  Holland  American  line  through  the  Ger- 
man authorities,  to  ascertain  the  sailing  date 
of  the  next  steamer  to  the  United  States.  In 
about  ten  days  I  received  word  that  owing  to 
the  resumption  of  unrestricted  submarine  war- 
fare, the  Holland- American  line  had  discon- 
tinued its  sailings  for  an  indefinite  period.  I 
was  informed  that  there  was  no  likelihood  of 
any  steamer  sailing  within  the  near  future, 
and  that  so  many  reservations  had  already  been 


240  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

made  that  when  a  steamer  did  sail  there  would 
be  no  room  for  my  party.  So,  to  my  great 
sorrow,  I  had  to  leave  my  poor  people  behind 
without  even  the  opportunity  to  apprise  them 
of  the  reason.  I  might  have  been  able  to  ob- 
tain passports  to  take  them  out  via  Spain,  but 
that  would  have  involved  an  expenditure  which 
I  was  not  prepared  to  meet. 

The  question  then  arose  as  to  my  o^vn  pass- 
port. The  German  authorities  insisted  that  I 
leave  via  Spain.  I  was  equally  insistent  that 
I  be  permitted  to  make  my  departure  via  Hol- 
land as  had  been  my  custom  in  the  past. 

**  What  good  will  it  do  for  you  to  enter  Hol- 
land? "  the  Pass  Bureau  officials  asked.  "  You 
will  be  bottled  up  there  indefinitely;  j^ou  might 
just  as  well  remain  here  in  Belgimn." 

I  explained  that  I  wanted  to  enter  Holland 
so  that  I  could  cancel  the  steamship  passages 
that  had  already  been  arranged  before  it  was 
known  that  I  could  not  take  my  charges  home 
with  me.  The  money  for  these  passages  had 
been  paid  to  Holland-American  line  rep- 
resentatives in  America,  much  of  it  by  poor 
families  who  could  ill  aiford  to  lose  it.  Well, 
the  Pass  Bureau  officals  said  my  reason  was 


AMERICA  DECLARES  WAR        241 

good,  but  they  could  not  see  liow  they  could 
give  me  a  Holland  passport.  Finding  that  my 
persuasions  availed  nothing,  I  went  to  my  hotel 
and  wrote  an  informal  letter  to  Governor- 
General  Von  Bissing,  who  had  just  returned 
from  taking  the  cure  at  Weisbaden.  I  begged 
the  Governor-General  to  grant  me  an  audience 
at  his  official  residence. 

Two  days  later  I  was  called  from  my  room 
to  the  office  of  the  hotel,  where  an  officer  of  the 
German  government  handed  me  an  important 
looking  envelope.  I  tore  it  open,  and  to  my 
amazement  discovered  that  it  was  an  invitation 
to  luncheon  at  Trois  Fontaines,  the  Governor- 
General's  chateau.  I  was  in  a  dilemma.  I 
hated  to  accept  because,  with  America  and 
Germany  at  war,  it  seemed  nothing  short  of 
treason  to  accept  such  a  courtesy  from  an  offi- 
cial of  the  German  government.  On  the  other 
hand  I  dared  not  refuse,  because  my  doing  so 
would  have  set  at  naught  the  work  of  many 
months  during  which  I  had  gathered  messages 
from  Belgians  w^hich  I  was  to  convey  to  their 
relatives  and  friends  abroad.  The  officer  who 
had  delivered  the  invitation  eyed  me  critically 


242  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

as   I   stood   there   pondering  what  course   to 
pursue. 

''  Well,"  he  said,  finally,  *'  what  answer 
shall  I  give  to  His  Excellency?  Will  you 
accept?  " 

*'  I  will.  "    I  replied. 

*'  Very  well;  the  Governor-GeneraPs  motor 
will  be  at  the  hotel  entrance  on  Thursday  at 
twelve-thirty    sharp. '  * 

I  was  waiting  at  the  hotel  entrance  on 
Thursday  when  the  automobile  drove  up. 
Two  young  officers,  in  glittering  uniforms, 
alighted  and  introduced  themselves  in  excell- 
ent English.  They  informed  me  that  they 
had  been  school  friends  of  Baroness  von  Bis- 
sing,  the  Governor-General's  daughter,  and  as 
they  were  passing  through  Bruxelles  on  their 
way  from  the  front,  to  spend  a  furlough  at 
home,  they  had  called  her  up  and  had  been  in- 
vited to  join  the  luncheon  party,  with  in- 
structions to  pick  me  up  on  the  way. 

I  jumped  into  the  car  and  settled  back  in 
silence.  I  was  anything  but  a  pleasant  com- 
panion, for  I  could  not  help  worrying  over 
the  possible  outcome  of  the  situation.  I  was 
fearful  that  I  was  about  to  be  placed  in  a  very 


AMERICA  DECLARES  WAR        243 

uncomfortable  position,  that  unpleasant  allu- 
sions would  be  made  to  America  and  that  I 
would  have  to  forget  my  position  as  a  guest 
and  show  my  resentment. 

We  were  met  at  Trois  Fontaines  by  the 
Governor-GeneraPs  adjutant,  who  immediately 
informed  me  that  I  would  be  expected  to  es- 
cort Her  Excellency  in  to  lunch.  I  felt  like 
asking  that  I  be  relieved  of  the  honor;  it  was 
my  first  experience  of  that  nature  and  I  was 
puzzled  which  arm  I  should  offer  to  her.  But, 
before  I  had  puzzled  very  long  the  Baron,  his 
wife  and  daughter  appeared  upon  the  scene, 
and  I  managed  to  get  through  the  ordeal  some- 
how. 

I  was  amazed  at  the  Governor-General's  ap- 
pearance. He  walked  with  great  difficulty  and 
with  very  evident  pain;  his  face  was  ashen 
and  there  was  a  worried,  agonized  look  in  his 
eyes.  I  understood  then  why  I  had  been  in- 
vited to  luncheon.  It  was  apparent  that  the 
Governor-General  would  never  go  to  his  office 
again,  and  he  had  given  me  the  one  possible 
opportunity  to  see  him. 

The  repast  was  very  modest  and  of  short 
duration.     I  was  seated  between   the  Baron 


244  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

and  his  wife,  and  although  the  Governor-Gen- 
eral spoke  but  a  few  times  during  the  meal  he 
took  occasion  to  congratulate  me  upon  the 
work  I  had  been  doing.  Her  Excellency  spoke 
to  me  in  English  tinged  with  the  very  slightest 
accent,  asking  me  in  a  general  way  about  my 
mission  and  passing  a  few  perfunctory  re- 
marks. The  Governor-General,  I  was  told, 
knew  no  English  whatever. 

The  guests  at  the  luncheon  included  the  two 
officers  who  had  called  for  me  at  the  hotel,  the 
family  physician  and  two  other  officers,  one  of 
them  Baron  von  Marx,  the  chief  official  of  the 
Pass  Bureau.  No  one  made  the  slightest  al- 
lusion to  America's  participation  in  the  war, 
a  mark  of  unusual  courtesy  for  which  I  was 
deeply  grateful.  When  we  arose  to  say  fare- 
well I  turned  to  Baron  von  Bissing  and  beg- 
ged permission  to  leave  Belgium  via  Holland. 
He  seemed  quite  willing  to  grant  the  request 
and,  calling  Baron  von  Marx  to  his  side,  he 
gave  instructions  to  issue  the  needed  passport. 
I  thanked  the  Governor-General,  bade  every- 
one present  good  bye  and  was  taken  back  to 
my  hotel  in  the  Governor-General's  motor. 

Four  days  later  I  stood  at  the  window  of 


AMERICA  DECLARES  WAR        245 

my  room  in  the  Palace  Hotel  and  watched  the 
procession  of  officers  and  notables  accompany- 
ing the  body  of  the  Governor-General  to  the 
railway  station  whence  it  was  to  be  sent  to 
Germany  for  burial. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Farewell  To  Belgium. 

Before  leaving  the  country  in  which  I  now 
seemed  to  have  worked  and  lived  so  long,  I 
naturally  paid  a  last  visit  to  Cardinal  Mercier. 
His  cup  of  sadness  was  overflowing;  he 
seemed  more  downcast  than  I  had  seen  him  at 
any  of  our  previous  meetings.  The  much- 
heralded  offensive  of  the  Allies  appeared  to 
be  on  the  wane,  and  the  Cardinal  had  just  suf- 
fered from  the  petty  tyranny  of  the  German 
masters.  His  Coadjutor  Bishop,  Monseigneur 
De  Graefe,  had  been  imprisoned  for  extending 
hospitality  to  a  French  fugitive  and  his  sec- 
retary, Canon  Srancken,  had  that  morning 
commenced  a  term  of  imprisonment  for  break- 
ing one  of  the  military  laws  of  the  enemy. 

'*  So  you  are  leaving  us  again,  and  this  time 
for  good,"   said   His   Eminence.     ''What   is 

246 


FAEEWELL  TO  BELGIUM        247 

to  become   of  us  now  that  America  can  no 

longer  be  our  godmother?    Who  will  feed  our 
starving  people?  " 

The  pathos  of  his  voice  wrung  my  heart, 
and  I  remained  silent  as  he  stood  gazing-  sor- 
rowfully out  of  the  window  of  his  library. 
After  a  few  minutes  he  turned  and  faced  me 
with  a  cheerful  smile. 

"  Away  with  gloomy  forebodings,'*  he  said. 
*  *  We  should  be  thankful  that  Columbia,  young, 
virile  Columbia,  has  unsheathed  her  sword  in 
the  eternal  cause  of  righteousness.  We  love 
America  for  having  succored  us  in  our  hour  of 
need,  and  no  matter  what  becomes  of  us  we 
shall  worship  her  for  shedding  the  blood  of 
her  brave  sons  in  the  cause  of  Belgium  and 
freedom,  because  the  cause  of  Belgium  symbol- 
izes the  vindication  of  humanity's  most  sacred 
and  inalienable  rights  against  the  abuses  and 
oppression  of  caste  and  might." 

I  felt  the  Cardinal's  emotion  in  every  word 
he  uttered  about  his  love  and  gratitude  for 
America,  and  when  we  discussed  the  possibil- 
ity of  my  taking  back  some  message  from  him 
to  our  President  I  assured  him  that  I  could 
smugfifle  such  a  message  out  of  Belgium.    His 


248  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

Eminence  therefore  handed  me  the  following 
letter : 

Monsieur  le  President: 

Often  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  have  I 
wished  to  express  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  whose  highest  representative  you  are, 
my  sentiments  of  gratitude.  You  have  lav- 
ished on  us  your  sympathy,  your  help,  your 
devotion.  At  the  very  moment  when  you  saw 
yourself  compelled  to  break  off  the  dip- 
lomatic relations  of  your  country  with  Ger- 
many you  have  had  one  more  special  thought 
for  our  country;  to  the  fifty  delegates  of  the 
Committee  for  the  Relief  of  Belgium  you 
have  immediately  given  the  advice  not  to 
abandon  us  as  long  as  the  authority  in  power 
allowed  them  to  look  after  our  subsistence. 
Accept  our  thanks  for  your  generosity.  Mon- 
sieur le  President,  receive  the  heartfelt 
gratitude  of  the  Belgian  nation,  and  allow  us 
to  tell  you  that  we  pray  God,  to  bless  your 
noble  country  and  its  very  noble  President. 

An  American  priest,  Father  de  Ville,  is 
kindly  bearing  this  modest  message  to  your 
address. 


fnndti 


PKIX  1)1    SlJlfcllO  -  .■•l:ist.,|ii.-.  a.  /..ro  .1  r.iilim  i],i  i.iv  i.iix  r,v.  n.l.urs  ,1,.  n^  pas  (Wpasser  «lte  limile)  j 


U  LIBRE  BELGIQUE 


FONDEE 
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t'tBWt«t  E«aif»l.  RasHiclBMtH 


»•  nuKcnot. 


BULLETIN    UE    PKOPAGA.NbE    I'ATIilOTHjl  E    —     KEGULIEKEME.M    IKKfeCLLIEH 

NB    SE    SOIMEITANI    »    AlCliNB    CESSUBE 


_     AJHtKU  TtLiCIUPHIllUE  : 

kOllliANUANTlK    BillXEIJ.KS 


EltBEAlX    ET   AUK 

fi*t  pouvaat  i^tro  un  ^mplacentent 

Je  tout  rt'po^,  ih  :jolU  llistull^ 

daus  une  cave  jiilumahiU* 


A.N.VO.NCES :  Les  iBiirei  ^nt  Dulle» 
MHib  la  domination  ailemaude,  nous 
avous  supprime  la  page  d'annooce«  et 
consfillons  a  nos  clients  de  r^sener 
leur  argent  pour  des  temps  meilleun. 


AVIS. 

Oh  (unu  fait  i  uoutma  I'lum- 
newr  (U  I'lifrujifr  ie  uotre  mo- 
4aU  bulUtin.  A('U«  en  sttmnu-*- 
/UUgi.  mats  nou*  notii  roit'tns 
form  ie  rfpHtr  <•.•  </«.■  wus 
avoiu  diji  dit  pimr  witiY  di'-- 
/nuc*.  />  H'rx/  ftrti-x  pQs  mmf 
««-»»/»i*»«*««>  iiiim*i«pB>»- 
i  ia  etrilf,  de  prorvqiifi  not 
tmeitoftiu  i>  la  ritulte.  \dii* 
lu  mamjuont  pat  uh^  ucriuiou 
de  ptreker  ia  patUnctf,  t'eiiiiu- 
roHce,  te  ealm<:  el  ie  rt-iperi  tt<-» 
iou  de  la  ijuerre.  Aum»i  pi  oft- 
tiMU-noii«  de  cette  ocrttmou  ijhi 
nmu  est  offerte  ptiur  r,-p,-lri 
t'atis  que  wnu  aroii*  <l,fi  m 

;       RICSr<t\S  1.  tl.ilKs 

'       ix  jomr   rtindrti    tleiih-in<u: 


SO.N  EXt:ELLE.M;E  LE  liOl  VEIlAEll;  B  »  VON  lilSSLVO 
ET  Sa\  ASIIE  IMIME 


fimtraiul*  de  rteuU-r  <ter-inl  i<  * 
Kiliem .derrumi alHtifl..t,n.  f  i.  ir. 

Saml  <e^ttm»  mm*  iMimt  4e*  ur*t 

I    —itrmr  fm    .-■•l    tie  d<mHet 

amt    etrtU    f«r     ie     l^mrerme 

mfml  0  fern  •••ire  htme^me»lre 

,  l.tlMIHtE  MMIAI    toll    IMIIH 

PAN   l.t   ntl  I.IUI  t 

fnlMli  .  mmnemammf  ^<ft  I   Mlllti,^!..    •  r,  . 
t<    r>«   «lki<1   .    s 
«ftr    l.«rr   Irftil^W     ti 


W.  l/ar.  SOVONS  CALMES!!!' 
Faiiont  taire  lei  sentimentt  de 
it'gilime  rolere  qui  fermenleiU ' 
eti  »int  orutg  i 

Stiyititx,  rt'itinn  tnttiit  I'mwi^] 
,li  jiiviiiiii.  nipt  Itieus  da' 
It  lit  lit  lit  tjutrii  i  til  tuna  que 
II     1    itmliiiiiti    IIS    ,1     ,11,1  It,  I   ' 

ttt,  peuplts  iirttmiK 

It  Miiiil  uiu-  IMTIUS  L\. 
<  lit  II .  lute tarhete  iui/ij/Uf  da 
ittiijegque  de  iherihtr  a  te  rew-  \ 
/,  I  itillt  tint  tjue  tur  U  i  kitmp  de  ■ 
l-u,u,lle.  I.,  ^,„u  de  plia  EX-  ' 
WISEK    IIES    l.\.\0»X"«TS  * 
itt-»  reprtMiilte*  lerrMe*  tie  ta 
pilrt    tl'ennt-miM   uu    pttl^    *S    ' 
•UIU  iauiee. 

ilefioHt'iutug  dtA  ugemu  pr»- 

rttttxieun    ttttemand*    f«i.    en    - 

fjttitaut  mitre patriaiwme,  noma   \ 

tttini»erttiemt  4  twrnmetlre  de»    i 

. .-.  I 

ll>.M(>^^  MAITKCS  lit  i 
Mil>Mr.)II.S  ET  MitUiUM    i 

i.t.  I.  vi.uL  Ai  luiM  or  I 

\ol  S      I    EM     LE     rttS 
t.HkM>>iJtM<.E  UlE  M4> 
PI  IwJilVi  ME>bU  A  M>>v ! 
tHI  liiUU  PATMS. 

iriiu»\.  fn»  «a*  Ml> 

.IJ'  rri   Mi   M.  ftm  fW 
■m  iliirife    «ll  fill—      ] 


pa/cue    <il    raiM   lIBcnXM    t.t    UllMTtM 


'I  liih  iiicturr  of  X'oii  I'.issinti  rradinj^  La  Lilirc  r)i'l.L;i(|ue  was  tlic 
last  straw.  With  rtdoulilcd  encrj^y  'ic-nnan  aj^cnts  wi'iit  out  to  liiul 
it>  ahidin.u   place. 


FAEEWELL   TO   BELGIUM         249 

Believe    me,    Monsieur    le    President,    with 
renewed    expressions    of    gratitude, 

Yours  very  truly, 

D.  J.  Cardinal  Mercier, 
Archbishop   of   Malines    (Belgium), 

Malines,  February  9,  1917. 

to    Mr.   "Wilson,   President   of    the    United 

States. 

Carefully  I  accepted  this  message,  and 
with  deep  sorrow  bade  farewell  to  the  Car- 
dinal whom  I,  like  all  of  his  people,  now 
loved  as  a  real  father. 

This  letter  to  President  Wilson  is  only 
another  example  of  his  courageous  spirit 
most  decisively  shown  in  his  pastoral  of 
January  29th,  1917  to  the  deans  of  his  dio- 
cese and  sent  with  his  permission  the  same 
year  to  all  of  his  clergy.  I  quote  it  beneath. 

'  To  every  day  its  sorrow.  The  practice 
of  the  moral  virtues  varies  with  events.  At 
the    present    time,    gentleness,    strength    of 


250  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

mind,  serenity,  in  a  warm  atmosphere  of 
charity,  are  especially  necessary  to  ua.  We 
have  the  divine  mission  of  supporting  and 
encouraging  our  people.  Whatever  our  hu- 
man reasons  for  confidence  in  the  future 
may  be — and  you  know  well  that  they  are 
more  justified  than  ever — let  us  search  for 
better. 

'*  Let  us  follow  the  example  of  Moses, 
who,  as  is  shown  in  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
had  such  a  lively  faith  in  God  that  he  saw 
him  with  his  eyes  *  By  faith  ...  he  en- 
dured, as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,'  and 
let  us,  as  sons,  deliver  all  our  soul  to  God. 
Let  this  faith  inspire  our  judgments  and 
steep  our  wills.  Undismayed  ourselves,  we 
shall  support  our  brethren.  The  Belgian 
people  have  not  flinched  and,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  they  will  not  flinch.  Their  unalterable 
serenity  will,  to  the  end  of  their  long  and  bitter 
trial,  console  our  absent  ones,  thank  our  bene- 
factors, smile  on  our  soldiers,  bless  our  dear 
Allies  and  bow  before  H.  M.  King  Albert; 
to  the  end  it  will  be  our  defiance  of  the  op- 
pressor, our  daily  act  of  patriotism,  the  hom- 
age of  Belgium  to  wisdom  and  goodness  and 


FAREWELL  TO  BELGIUM        251 

to  the  justice  and  mercy  of  Divine  Provid- 
ence. ' ' 

I  did  what  I  could  during  the  next  few 
days  to  help  all  those  who  had  previously 
appealed  to  me,  and  whom  I  would  probably 
never  see  again. 

These  last  efforts  led  me  sometimes  far  in- 
to the  country,  and  it  was  on  one  such  oc- 
casion that  I  found  myself  walking  late  in 
the  afternoon  along  a  deserted  road.  The 
sun  was  just  setting  over  the  edge  of  the 
canal,  and  no  sound  was  to  be  heard  when 
my  ears  were  startled  by  the  words  of  a 
plaintive   song  in  a  woman's   voice: 

''Pauvre  mere,  pauvre  enfant. 
Quel  malheur,   quelle   douleur.  .  .  . 

The  words  seemed  to  be  repeated  again  and 
again,  in  tones  now  tender  and  soft,  again 
harsh  and  punctuated  with  sobs.  I  looked  for 
the  singer,  and  about  a  hundred  feet  from 
where  I  stood  I  observed  a  woman  seated  in 
the  shadow  of  a  cluster  of  willows,  her  body 
swaying  slowly  to  and  fro. 


252  BACK  FEOM  BELGIUM 

I  walked  over  to  the  spot.  A  thin  cotton 
dress  covered  her  emaciated  figure;  a  mass  of 
auburn  hair,  clotted,  unkempt,  fell  about  her 
shoulders.  Her  pale  face  revealed  traces  of 
beauty  through  lines  imprinted  by  sorrow  and 
want.  In  her  lap  lay  a  sleeping  child,  an  in- 
fant probably  a  year  old.  The  woman  looked 
at  me  with  an  expression  of  stolid  indifference 
which  soon  changed  to  mingled  shame  and 
conscious  self-pity. 

'^Pardon  me,"  I  addressed  her,  *'  can  I  be 
of  any  service  to  you,  Madame!  " 

**  No  one  can  do  anything  for  me,"  she  re- 
plied, in  the  tone  of  one  who  knows  utter 
despair. 

'*  Do  not  say  that,  my  friend,"  I  entreated 
her.  '*  You  are  suffering,  and  that  entitles  you 
to  my  respect  and  my  humble  help  as  well,  no 
matter  what  you  may  have  done." 

She  looked  at  me  in  silence,  and  her  eyes 
filled  with  tears.  I  did  not  say  anything,  but 
sat  down  beside  her  and  took  hold  of  her  hand. 
Presently  she  withdrew  her  hand  from  my 
grasp  and  wiped  her  eyes  with  her  apron. 

*'  Pardon  my  rudeness,"  she  said  with  un- 
steady voice.    * '  Since  this  happened  I  am  not 


FAREWELL   TO   BELGIUM         253 

responsible  for  either  words  or  actions." 

''Tell  me  the  cause  of  your  grief,"  I  urged 
gently. 

She  hesitated  for  a  moment  and  then,  with 
visibly  painful  effort,  she  told  me  her  story. 

**  I  was  born  twenty-two  years  ago  in  that 
little  white  house  by  the  canal."  She  paused 
for  an  instant,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the 
dwelling  she  had  mentioned.  *'  I  was  the  only 
child  of  comparatively  poor  parents,  but  I 
grew  up  happy  and  contented.  I  had  every- 
thing I  wanted  because  my  desires  were  few. 

**  Three  years  ago,  at  the  Easter  Kermess, 
I  became  engaged  to  Peter,  the  son  of  the  vil- 
lage blacksmith.  We  loved  each  other  very 
much.  He  worked  hard  and  saved  his  money, 
and  bought  a  little  piece  of  property  in  the 
next  hameau.  He  was  preparing  to  build  a 
cottage  on  it,  and  this  fall  we  were  to  move 
into  it  as  man  and  wife.  Then  this  cursed 
war  broke  out,  and  Peter  went  away  with  the 
defenders  of  Belgium.  Perhaps  he  is  not  far 
from  me  now,  on  the  banks  of  the  Yser.  Per- 
haps he  is  dead.    Wlio  knows?  " 

She  ceased  speaking  and  fell  into  a  fit  of 
revery,  staring  ahead  into  vacancy.     After  a 


254  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

while  she  lifted  her  voice  in  agony. 

"  Oh,  I  pray  God  that  Peter  is  dead  so  that 
he  may  never  learn  of  my  shame.  You  little 
serpent,"  she  said  with  sudden  fury,  gazing 
with  horror  on  the  still  form  of  the  child,  who 
awoke  and  began  to  cry. 

I  placed  my  hands  on  the  woman's  should- 
ers. 

"My  poor  friend,"  I  said,  "  do  not  be  un- 
reasonable. Though  unwelcome,  the  little  one 
is  your  child  and  innocent  itself  of  any  wrong. ' ' 

*'  I  know  it,  I  know  it,"  she  cried  passion- 
ately with  a  sudden  change.  She  gathered  the 
child  up  in  her  arms  and  covered  it  with  kisses. 
"  I  know  it — I  am  its  mother  and  should  cher- 
ish it,  but  when  I  think  of  the  father  I  cannot 
but  rebel  and  abominate  the  creature.  Oh,  if  I 
could  only  repudiate  it  and  forget  that  it  is 
part  of  my  flesh  and  blood! 

u  *  *  *  -when  the  Germans  entered  our  vil- 
lage I  was  in  the  stable  milking  the  cows. 
Three  soldiers  entered  and  asked  for  a  drink 
of  milk.  I  was  trembling  with  fear,  but  I  gave 
them  a  pail  half  filled,  and  then  suddenly,  one 
of  them,  the  largest  of  the  three,  took  off  his 
helmet  and  threw  it  on  the  floor.    He  came  over 


FAREWELL  TO  BELGIUM        255 

to  me  and  I  knew  his  purpose  from  the  ex- 
pression on  his  face.  I  screamed,  but  he 
seized  me  in  his  arms  and  kissed  me.  I  heard 
the  other  two  soldiers  laugh,  and  then  I  knew 
no  more. 

*'  When  I  regained  consciousness,  I  was  un- 
der the  covers  of  my  bed,  in  my  room.  My 
father  had  found  me  lying  on  a  pile  of  straw  in 
a  corner  of  the  stable.  When  the  little  one  came 
my  parents  tried  to  hide  their  shame,  but  oc- 
casionally things  would  go  wrong  and  then  they 
would  reproach  me.  The  villagers  shunned  me 
as  though  I  were  a  leper.  .  .  .  Six  months  ago 
my  father  was  deported  to  Germany,  and  we 
are  greatly  in  want.  My  poor  mother  is  pining 
away.  Of  late,  and  today  especially,  I  know 
not  why,  I  have  thought  that  I  could  find  peace 
only  at  the  bottom  of  our  old  canal.  Don't 
you  think  God  would  understand  and  forgive 
me?  "    She  looked  up  appealingly. 

**  Poor,  poor  child,"  I  said,  "how  deeply  I 
sympathize  with  you!  " 

I  offered  her  a  few  pieces  of  silver,  as  much 
as  T  could  spare  from  my  slender  purse,  then 
I  gave  her  my  card  and  said :  "  Promise  me  to 
be  brave  for  a  little  longer.    I  shall  try  to  ob- 


256  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

tain  a  passport  for  you,  so  that  you  may  come 
with  me  to  America,  where  I  can  introduce  you 
to  friends  who  will  be  glad  to  care  for  j^ou." 

She  pressed  the  babe  to  her  breast  and 
looked  at  me  with  tear-dimmed  eyes. 

*^  Tomorrow,"  she  said  sadly  **  you  will 
no  longer  remember  me.  I  am  only  one  of 
many. ' ' 

I  assured  her  that  I  would  not  forget  my 
promise,  and  took  her  name  and  address. 
Then  I  patted  the  child  on  the  cheek  and  left 
her.  I  shall  never  forget  the  glance  she  bes- 
towed upon  me  at  my  thought  of  the  little  one. 
There  was  infinite  love  and  devotion  in  it. 
When  I  neared  the  road  I  heard  her  singing 
again,  but  her  voice,  though  sad,  had  a  note  of 
hope  in  it. 

I  made  every  effort  to  obtain  a  passport 
for  her,  but  she  had  no  family  in  America  and 
so  I  could  not  induce  the  authorities  to  allow 
her  departure.  I  only  hope  she  has  had  the 
courage  not  to  let  herself  drop  some  evening 
into  the  still  and  peaceful  waters  of  the  canal 
where  she  played  as  a  child. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

How  Amebica  Helps. 

I  carried  Cardinal  Mercier's  letter  to  Wash- 
ington, and  delivered  it  personally  to  Presi- 
dent "Wilson,  with  whom  I  had  an  interviw 
about  conditions  in  Belgium  and  my  work 
there.  The  President  told  me  of  his  admira- 
tion for  Cardinal  Mercier,  to  whom  he  sent  the 
following  answer: 


5  July,  1917. 


The  White  House, 
Washington. 


His  Eminence 

Cardinal    Mercier 

Archbishop    of   Malines. 

Your   Eminence 

I  am  deeply  touched  by  your  personal  com- 
munication  of  the  ninth   of  February,   1917, 

257 


258  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

which  recently  reached  me  at  the  hands  of 
Father  deVille. 

The  sincere  sympathy  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  for  the  people  of  Belgium  in 
their  sore  affliction  has  been  manifested  in 
many  ways  since  the  very  outbreak  of  the 
war,  and  this  Government  has  set  its  seal  of 
approbation  upon  this  national  sentiment  by 
sending  its  chosen  forces  to  the  Belgian  front, 
there  to  fight  the  common  enemy.  I  trust  that 
the  efforts  of  the  American  people  towards 
the  relief  of  suffering  among  the  stricken 
people  of  Belgium  may  soon  be  resumed  under 
happier  auspices  which  will  attend  the  libera- 
tion of  Belgium. 

With  assurance  of  my  high  personal  consid- 
eration, 

Faithfully  yours, 

WooDBow  Wilson. 

I  came  out  of  the  White  House  more  en- 
couraged than  I  had  felt  for  a  long  time.  It 
seemed  good  to  walk  about  the  streets  filled 
with  American  uniforms  symbolic  of  the  war 
for  universal  liberty,   and   it  was   with   deep 


HOW  AMERICA  HELPS  259 

reverence  that  I  saluted  the  flag  when  I  saw  it 
borne  by  some  of  those  keen-looking  youths 
who  had  enlisted  in  its  defence. 

America  is  going  to  the  war  in  the  noblest 
and  most  unselfish  manner  that  any  country 
ever  has,  and  her  sons  will  come  back  from  a 
war  waged  so  unselfishly  with  deeper  con- 
sciousness of  the  brotherhood  of  man. 

The  question  has  often  been  put  to  me,  as 
to  what  effect  this  war  will  have  upon  religion. 
People  who  return  from  France  tell  us  that 
the  faithful  flock  to  the  churches  and  that 
there  is  a  great  revival  of  religious  spirit. 
Thirty  thousand  priests  have  abandoned  their 
missions  in  the  Far  East,  in  Africa  and  other 
places,  and  have  returned  home  to  fight  for 
France  in  her  hour  of  need.  Sisters  and  mem- 
bers of  religious  orders  flocked  back  in  spite 
of  the  laws  passed  in  France  some  years  ago 
against  religious  communities,  and  are  devot- 
ing themselves  to  the  alleviation  of  suffering. 
Why  did  they  desert  the  missions  that  needed 
them?  Why  did  they  abandon  the  benighted 
pagan  and  a  fertile  harvest  in  order  to  return 
to  what  they  considered  an  ungrateful  Father- 
land? Was  it  because  they  felt  their  first  duty 


260  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

was  to  their  brethren  at  home  and  hoped  that 
their  patriotism,  their  abnegation  would  cause 
many  to  come  back  to  the  fold?  Or  was  it 
merely  love  of  country  that  prompted  them  to 
do  so?  Perhaps  both.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is 
an  imposing,  inspiring  spectacle  that  they  pre- 
sent— this  legion  of  levites — scattered  through- 
out the  army,  fighting  the  enemy  and  pausing 
now  and  then  to  grant  absolution  to  their 
wounded  and  dying  comrades.  The  effect 
their  heroism  and  ministrations  must  have 
npon  their  comrades  is  a  beautiful  one  for  the 
future  of  the  Church  of  France. 

In  Belgium  many  people  go  to  Church  that 
never  went  before  because  the  Church  has  be- 
come the  only  ''Temple  de  la  patrie'*  where 
homage  may  be  paid  to  the  Fatherland  with  a 
certain  degree  of  impunity.  The  priests  are 
patriots,  and  the  sermons  they  preach  are  full 
of  subtle  allusions  to  the  momentous  questions 
of  the  time,  if  not  openly  patriotic.  The  na- 
tional anthems  are  sung,  the  national  airs 
played.  Hence  you  will  find  there  the  pious 
Catholic  and  Protestant,  as  well  as  the  bileral, 
the  socialist  and  the  atheist,  all  brought  to- 
gether by  a  common  sorrow,  all  breathing  the 


HOW  AMERICA  HELPS  261 

same  spirit,  giving  vent  to  the  same  emotions 
and  aspirations.  How  beautiful  would  it  not 
be  if  this  could  last  forever! 

On  the  other  hand,  I  asked  a  Bavarian  of- 
ficer, an  excellent  Catholic,  what  effect  the 
war  had  upon  the  church-going  Germans,  Ba- 
varians and  Austrians. 

''Very  bad,"  he  replied.  ''At  the  beginning 
of  the  war  the  churches  in  Belgium  were  full 
of  soldiers  who  went  to  mass  and  received  the 
sacraments  regularly.  Now  things  are  differ- 
ent and  you  see  comparatively  few  performing 
their  religious  duties.  The  war  has  lasted  too 
long,  and  many  of  them  having  been  away 
from  their  families  so  long  have  contracted 
illicit  relations  and  consequently  grow  tepid, 
indifferent.  Again,  the  socialist  has  not  been 
idle,  and  during  the  long  days  in  trenches 
and  camps  has  argued  and  preached  in  season 
and  out  of  season,  making  tens  of  thousands 
of  converts,  men  whom  he  could  never  reach 
at  home,  surrounded  as  they  were  by  the  at- 
mosphere of  tlie  church,  and  prejudiced 
against  new  doctrines.  'What  is  the  use  of 
praying?'  thoy  say  to  you  now.  'We  have 
prayed  long  and  earnestly  but  God  does  not 


262  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

hear  our  supplications.'  They  gradually  grow- 
hard,  skeptical,  angry  at  the  tenets  they  once 
professed.  A  prominent  clergj^man  of  Col- 
ogne told  me  as  early  as  March,  1915,  that 
there  were  very  many  cases  of  infidelity 
among  the  women  of  Germany  whose  hus- 
bands w^ere  away  at  war  and  that  the  clergy- 
men and  leaders  of  the  various  municipalities 
were  very  much  alarmed." 

Perhaps  the  people  of  France  and  Belgium 
have  turned  to  religion  in  their  suffering  as 
the  people  of  Germany,  waging  an  evil  war  for 
ignoble  motives,  could  not  do.  The  German 
**Gott"  is  too  opposed  to  the  idea  which  civi- 
lized persons,  be  they  Catholics  or  Protest- 
ants or  Jews,  have  received  of  the  Divinity. 
Not  until  the  inevitable  defeat  will  the  German 
come  to  realize  tlie  ignominious  part  played 
by  his  country,  and  the  glory  of  those  who 
opposed  Hohenzollern  lust  of  conquest. 

But  who  can  tell  now  of  Belgium's  glory? 
Where  are  we  to  look  for  Belgium's  singer? 
Not  in  Belgium  herself  nor  yet  among  the 
peoples  of  any  of  her  Allies.  For  there  is  no 
one  person,  no  one  nation  that  can  sing  the 
song  of  the  savior  of  civilization.     The  hymn 


HOW  AMERICA  HELPS  263 

of  Belgian  praise  will  ascend  through  the 
years  of  history,  rising  high  on  the  voice  of 
humanity.  Justice,  fairest  daughter  of  man- 
kind, will  declaim  the  glory  of  Belgium's  cour- 
age, a  courage  that  unfurled  the  banner  of 
defiance  when  Right  lay  bleeding  under  the 
heel  of  Might.  Even  German  posterity  will 
''sing  unto  the  Lord  a  new  song" — celebrating 
the  immutable  force  that  saved  the  Germ-an 
peoples  from  their  self-directed  destruction. 

Picture  the  women  and  children  of  Belgium, 
— her  old  men — during  the  period  of  German 
domination.  Those  who  stayed  at  home  fought 
as  bravely  as  the  soldiers  enlisted  under  the 
colors  of  King  Albert's  land.  I  saw  them  in 
their  dark  hours  of  adversity,  I  saw  their 
smiles  of  hope  as  their  savings  gradually  dis- 
appeared, and  I  saw  their  heroism  in  the  face 
of  danger.  I  saw  them  when  they  put  aside 
their  pride  and  joined  Charity's  bread  line  in 
order  to  keep  alive.  I  observed  the  evidence 
of  their  unconquerable  pride  as  one  by  one 
their  liberties  were  taken  away,  I  watched 
them  hide  their  chagrin,  bow  their  heads  like 
early  martyrs.    And  always  in  their  eyes  was 


264  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

the  fearless  light  of  those  who  have  ''fought  a 
good  fight ! ' ' 

It  was  Bismarck,  that  fiendish  plotter,  who 
laid  the  foundations  for  the  present  tragedy, 
who  wrote  in  1870  that:  **  True  strategy  con- 
sists in  striking  your  enemy  and  striking  him 
hard.  Above  all  things  you  must  inflict  on  the 
inhabitants  of  invaded  territories  the  maxi- 
mum of  suffering,  in  order  to  discourage  them 
from  the  struggle  and  to  insure  their  assist- 
ance in  bringing  pressure  to  bear  on  their 
government  to  induce  it  to  end  resistance. 
You  must  leave  to  the  people  through  whose 
homes  you  march  nothing  but  their  eyes  with 
which  to  weep." 

It  is  in  accordance  with  this  hellish  doctrine 
of  their  great  war  teacher  that  the  Huns  are 
joyfully  sinking  peaceful  fishermen,  shelling 
the  churches  in  which  women  pray  and  starv- 
ing the  children  of  Belgium. 

And  so,  as  I  cannot  return  to  those  un- 
fortunate millions  starving  in  Belgium,  I  am 
doing  what  little  I  can  from  America  for  their 
relief.  Before  my  final  departure  from  Bel- 
gium, I  had  been  asked  by  Cardinal  Mercier 
and  by  those  at  the  head  of  L»Oeuvre  du  Lait 


HOW  AMERICA  HELPS  265 

to  carry  to  the  United  States  and  to  South 
America  the  plaint  of  Belgium's  starving 
babes,  and  since  my  return  I  have  been  ap- 
pealing for  these  little  ones. 

One  of  the  most  sorrowful  sights  in  Bel- 
gium is  that  presented  by  little  children  gath- 
ered in  shivering  groups  at  corners  where 
they  remain  for  hours  in  the  hope  of  receiv- 
ing a  cup  of  so-called  milk.  Though  there  be 
crowds  of  them  together  they  are  sadly  silent, 
and  rarely  indeed  is  childish  laughter  heard 
in  Belgium  today.  Father  has  been  deported 
or  is  fighting  somewhere  for  the  cause  of  lib- 
erty, and  mother  is  often  in  tears  when  she 
thinks  of  him  and  wonders  whether  he  will 
ever  return  to  fill  that  empty  chair  at  the  fam- 
ily table. 

And  now  strict  economy  has  been  replaced 
by  actual  want,  by  gnawing  hunger  for  these 
little  children  of  the  heroes  of  Liege  and  of 
the  Yser  who  saved  not  only  Europe  but  the 
whole  civilized  world.  They  are  growing 
daily  paler  and  thinner,  and  sometimes  they 
quietly  die  for  the  want  of  a  little  food. 

Wherever  I  go  I  find  sympathy  and  gener- 
ous response  from  Americans  of  every  de- 
nomination and  of  every  class  whom  war  has 


266  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

drawn  together  in  such  brotherhood  as  did  not 
exist  before.  I  wish  I  had  the  space  to  re- 
print here  some  of  the  letters  I  have  received 
in  connection  with  this  work.  They  would 
show  a  little  Protestant  school  teacher  in  Wis- 
consin teaching  her  class  to  make  sacrifices  in 
order  to  feed  their  Catholic  friends  in  Bel- 
gium, they  would  show  a  poor  Jewish  woman 
in  New  York  sending  for  the  same  cause  her 
only  Liberty  bond,  proudly  bought  at  great 
sacrifice,  they  would  show  the  unending  gen- 
erosity of  those  to  whom  a  little  often  means 
a  great  deal. 

The  patrons  of  L'Oeuvre  de  Lait,  known 
here  as  ''The  Belgian  Children's  Milk  Fund,'* 
are  headed  by  Her  Majesty  Queen  Elizabeth 
of  Belgium  and  include  the  Duchess  of  Ven- 
dome,  Cardinal  Mercier  and  the  Princess  of 
Ligne,  while  the  Honorary  President  of  the 
American  Committee  is  the  Hon.  Henry  Van 
Dyke,  assisted  by  John  Purroy  Mitchell,  Mr. 
Pierre  Mali  (Belgian  Consul-General  at  New 
York)  and  a  number  of  the  leading  ministers 
of  every  religion.  Its  American  headquarters 
are  at  2517  Logan  Boulevard,  Chicago. 

The  Belgian   Children's  Milk  Fund  has  a 


HOW  AMERICA  HELPS  267 

group  of  cottages  near  the  Hague,  Holland, 
and  it  takes  care  of  destitute  Belgian  children 
of  refugees  who  are  not  able  to  care  for  them 
or  who  have  died  during  the  war.  Its  princi- 
pal object,  however,  is  to  send  money  to  its 
branches  in  Belgium  with  which  to  buy  milch 
cows  or  milk  for  their  two  distributing  sta- 
tions at  Contich  and  Malines.  It  also  buys 
cows  in  Holland  to  send  over  to  Belgium  and 
this  is  done  with  the  protection  of  the  Dutch 
authorities  who  see  to  it  that  they  be  regarded 
as  property  of  a  beneficient  organization  with 
Dutch  connections,  and  hence  immune  from 
seizure.  A  great  deal  of  good  has  been  done 
and  the  work  has  been  supported  by  the  rich 
Belgians  until  now,  but  their  resources  are 
now  exhausted  and  the  need  is  greater  than 
ever,  as  the  little  petitioners  are  daily  in- 
creasing in  number.  More  stations  should  be 
built  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  the 
daily  allotment  should  be  increased  instead  of 
diminished.  At  present  each  child  receives 
one-third  of  a  quart  per  day.  The  *'Milk 
Fund"  appeals  now,  for  the  first  time,  to  the 
American  people,  and  it  is  an  appeal  which 
should  be  heard  by  every  parent  whose  own 


268  BACK  FROM  BELGIUM 

little  ones  safe  at  home  are  growing  up  happy 
and  healthy  while  those  others — a  week's 
traveling  away — are  slowly  starving  and  have 
forgotten  what  it  is  to  be  happy. 

As  I  write  it  is  nearly  four  years  since 
Belgium  fell  under  the  ruthless  domination  of 
Germany,  and  for  nearly  four  years  the  Huns 
have  dashed  themselves  against  the  barrier 
composed  of  French  and  British  and  Belgians. 
"They  shall  not  pass"  has  been  the  challenge 
of  civilization,  and  now  the  barrier  is  strength- 
ened by  the  incalculable  force  of  a  peaceful 
America  roused  at  last  to  war.  It  may  be  a 
long  war  still,  and  it  will  bring  sacrifice  and 
cost  some  of  our  best  blood,  but  every  man 
that  falls  will  be  a  source  of  pride  and  inspir- 
ation for  all  times,  and  in  the  glory  of  the 
achievement  we  will  remember  Maeterlinck's 
words : 

''Where  are  the  dead? 
There  are  no  dead." 


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